


With Great Power

by Peridawesome



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Break Up, F/F, I'm Bad At Titles, I'm Lapidot Trash, Light Angst, Meeting Your Soulmate Gives You Superpowers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other ships aren't as major, Slow Burn, lapidot - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2019-11-27 11:20:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 30,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18193901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peridawesome/pseuds/Peridawesome
Summary: In a world where meeting your soulmate grants you superpowers, follow the inner struggles of two very different girls in high school- a short blonde nerd who is unsure of if she'll ever get to feel what it's like to feel power coursing through her but hopes for the chance, and a tall silent blue-haired girl who's experienced power before but has lost hope of ever feeling it again. Let's see how important first impressions are.





	1. Perispective

Peridot had studied all there was to know about the connection between soulmates and powers- all it took was meeting them for the first time to light that spark, and deep within you, you'd feel something begin to form and move its way to the surface. It comes out in different ways for everyone- long-time power couple Ruby and Sapphire had humorously recounted when they first met as awkward teens, and the morning after one woke up to a chilly bed, and the other... well, let's just say it certainly wasn't all too funny at the time. Thankfully, nobody got hurt, and Ruby's powers seemed to grant her some kind of immunity over the heat.

Other times, it can come out while conscious, in the form of self-defense. A friend she had relatively recently made, a cute kid named Steven, apparently was lucky enough to meet his soulmate at age twelve, and the way he knew this for sure was recess the day afterward when he gave her bruised elbow a kiss to "make it feel better" and watched as it actually glowed and the bruise faded away into nonexistence. As for Connie... if it hadn't been for the explanation that no, she didn't bring a sword to school with the intent of attacking kids, she just met her soulmate and pulled it out of her body, she might've faced her first ever suspension. Having the story described to her was enough to sadden Peridot, as Steven was quite detailed with how teary-eyed Connie got. She guessed he either had a perfect memory or was just super in-tune with people's emotions, but either way, Peridot hoped she never summoned her powers like that.

But then, thinking about that was enough to make her wonder: would she ever summon her powers? Yes, yes, she knew it was wrong to be so pessimistic; she heard that all the time from her friend Pearl, who while well-meaning, wasn't always the most helpful with her advice. After all, Pearl was the hottest girl she's met, in an objective way, so it wasn't like she knew what it was like to have no idea if she'd ever meet her soulmate. Okay, that's not fair- maybe Pearl was unaware of her hotness, and in that case, she very much has the right to worry. Still, she felt that she couldn't possibly know how she was feeling, so it wasn't the most honest advice. Although, to be fair, she eventually began tuning out Pearl when she started giving her inspirational speeches, because despite her positive intentions, her positive sayings blended together after a while and turned into a mush in her ears. Thankfully, Pearl made up for it by being a good homework buddy, with both of them helping each other with the stuff they both each had trouble with.

Now, high school approached, and Peridot wondered how different things would be. Not referring to school work, of course, as she was confident it would not be a challenge to her... apart from art classes, which she often struggled with because of the whole "express yourself" thing. No, what she was having trouble predicting was what new people she might meet, and of course, if any of them would have the spark needed to give her both the lovey-dovey feelings she's read about in saucy fanfiction and the amazing powers she often theorized about. According to her math, there would be approximately twenty people in each class, maybe twenty five if it's a popular class, or fifteen if it isn't. So, she averaged it to around thirty. With that math, she had a 3.3% chance of her soulmate being in any given class. Factoring in the possibility of her not even being in any of her same classes, or the fact that lunch tends to have an immense number of students that would make even her number-loving head spin, only made her feel less and less confident. And that was odd, seeing as how she normally oozed confidence. But the world had a strange way of making things weird, especially when it handed out powers based on something as random as meeting someone you happen to like more than other people. Couldn't she get a pity power for just making friends? That was hard enough, being Peridot.

All these thoughts were brewing inside her as she laid in bed, slogging through the last weekend before high school in the only way she knew how: decked out in her green alien hoodie with a similarly colored blanket around her like a hermit, eating chips, watching TV, binging cartoons she was constantly told were below her level, and texting her friends. She wanted to let her worries drain out of her, although it certainly wasn't doing the trick to literally wallow. She quickly told her group she was heading to the shower with a cute emoji of a cartoon alien giving a peace sign, half-smiled when she got a ton of admittedly unnecessary but flattering "miss you"s and "bye Peridot"s, then picked out the perfect clothes for making friends in an unfamiliar environment before spending five minutes adjusting the water, because she wasn't going to accept cold water on a day like this.

Just ten hours, fifteen minutes, and twenty seconds until high school began, and she was flooded with uncertainty once more. If only Peridot could predict the things that would happen...


	2. Water Witch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's look into the perspective of someone who has experience with soulmates and superpowers.

Lapis Lazuli knew what it was like to have powers, in many ways. She hated thinking about it now, and every time she did, she constantly wondered how she was able to let her get into something that eventually ended the way it did. That wasn't the real issue, though- it was the fact that whenever she thought about her relationship with Jasper, a nagging voice in the back of her head told her, "Give it one more try, go back to her, you can make things work." It took a long time for her to convince herself that this was wrong.

Her relationship with Jasper began at the beginning of middle school- at first, it felt like it was meant to be- Lapis, a moody but still somewhat outgoing and quirky teen trying out for swim practice, and Jasper, a buff, far more outgoing teen who was already lifting weights. Of course, nobody would've ever anticipated them getting together at first, since many viewed the latter as a bit of a bully, which Lapis did not come anywhere close to being. However, whenever questioned about it, she would always say that she saw another side to Jasper, and that she knew her better than anybody else did.

When the powers started forming, they had already been talking for a few days. She didn't know this at the time, but that should've been a harrowing sign- it's uncommon for your powers to form any later than the day after the official first meeting. Even if she knew about this fact, though, Lapis would've made a way to excuse it; they loved each other, it doesn't matter how long it takes for her body to realize it. It was quite poetic, then, that her powers ended up being tied to the other thing she loved.

It manifested itself during swim practice, which Jasper was lucky enough to be there to see. She vividly remembered how focused she was in winning, so much so that she almost didn't realize that she was forming a tunnel of water as a shortcut. That is, until the coach blew the whistle and called a time-out, declaring this to be foul play. Although she understood the reasoning behind the call, Lapis's unofficial girlfriend did not, and an argument began to break out before she could even get out of the pool. However, she could barely hear a word of it, her heart pounding and her hands feeling like they were freezing, or on fire, or both. She gave one last look toward Jasper before she began to fall unconscious, and it was a miracle that she hadn't hit the concrete ground below her and died.

From what the doctors told her, it was not uncommon for someone to faint upon using their powers for the first time while in a high-stress situation- they said something about how her body was not used to using so much energy at once, and the fact that she had been straining herself while subconsciously using her powers was the icing on the cake. As long as she figured out how not to let that happen again- the fainting, not just using her powers- she didn't care how it worked. The most interesting thing they told her, though, was what they didn't find- she hadn't been conscious enough to notice, but she didn't take any scratches or bruises from her burst of power, not even when she fell.

Yes, she owed her life to Jasper, and yes, maybe that's why she tried to hold on to their relationship for so long. But to be fair, when someone manages to run toward you like something out of Sonic the Hedgehog and catch you mid-fall, you'd be remiss to not repay that in some way. That was Lapis's thinking, anyway- nowadays, she thought maybe she was acting foolish, although obviously she was still glad Jasper didn't let her hit the ground. Still, it was after their day things began to move forward a lot faster between them. And at first, she thought this was a good thing.

Every day began to feel the same, and that seemed amazing at the start- they'd walk next to each other, show off their respective powers, laugh as they got in trouble how using their natural gifts... and most importantly, show everyone that they were in love, so nobody could deny it. Having powers should've been enough evidence, but it wasn't for Lapis or Jasper. If they were in the same room, they'd make sure to be side by side, kissing and cuddling; if they weren't, they would be texting each other, up until they got their phones confiscated. Lapis wanted it to stay this way forever- even if they never decided to officially get married, it was enough for them to be girlfriends enjoying each other in harmony. However, nothing good can ever last, at least that's what it seemed.  
  
Lapis believed that maybe if they had taken things slower, it would've worked out better. In fact, she blamed herself for making Jasper become so clingy and controlling by making her think that she would always be by her side no matter what. However, it wasn't really that simple; both of them had a part to play in the way their relationship ended, and the way their powers began to fade. Both of them hurt each other and got hurt, it was simply the way they responded that made it appear differently.  
  
When Jasper first grabbed Lapis's arm one day, urging her to "stay a little longer" when the bell rang for them to go to one of the several classes they didn't share together, she didn't think much of it. She reasoned she might've missed her after such a long weekend, and that it was almost cute the way she wanted to hold her a bit more. However, that excuse didn't work the second time, or the third. Eventually, when the bell rang at the end of first period and she saw Jasper reach over to grab her arm, she immediately began to move away. Jasper's expression changed instantly to one she didn't recognize- she never saw her look that mad, especially not toward her. She reached forward once more to grab her, in a faster motion, and in a moment of panic, Lapis backed away without looking behind her and she tripped over her own desk. Lying on the ground, she felt fear toward her girlfriend for the first time, and she managed to get out of the classroom before Jasper could reach down to help her up. Maybe it was irrational to act that way, but her emotions got the best of her.

She had managed to catch her breath by the time she reached her class, and she noticed her phone making a bit of noise- after quickly turning it on during passing period when the teachers wouldn't pay any mind, she saw that Jasper had been messaging her, almost immediately after she left. It seemed she was trying to find an explanation for why she had ran, while adding a quick "sorry if I scared you" at the end. Not wanting to deal with it right now, Lapis decided to just tell her "Let's wait until we see each other at lunch to talk about this." Nearly instantaneously, Jasper responded, "we're going to talk about this now." It was an intimidating message, but luckily Lapis had an excuse to avoid this exchange- the bell rang, indicating it was time to put phones away and start class. For the first time in a while, she didn't message Jasper for the whole period, leaving it off in her backpack while trying to find some appreciation for science. It was almost refreshing, and at the time she felt bad for thinking that, but now she understood exactly why.  
  
The next period, she did something similar- quickly turn her phone on to check on her messages, find that Jasper had bombarded her with messages asking for some sort of explanation, forgiveness, an apology, something along those lines. It was overwhelming to Lapis, and she wondered why she hadn't realized before, but Jasper can be an intense person. She might've overlooked that at first, but now it was staring her right in the face- when people made comments about Jasper being scary, or aggressive, they hadn't been exaggerating or spreading rumors, Lapis just never saw that side of her because she knew did anything to make her anything but happy before.  
  
It took her a minute to respond, and by that time more messages had popped up, only making it harder for her to form an explanation- so she just told her as little as possible without stretching the truth: "This is overwhelming. I think we need a break."  
  
When she hit send, she instantly regretted it, and the three dots that popped up at the bottom of the screen scared her. Luckily, the bell rang for that class, and she swiftly turned her phone off and placed it away. She tried to clear her mind, let herself forget about Jasper for just a moment- she's spent so much time focusing on her, giving her all of her attention, she never really made time to be alone. Even when she was in a class without her, it felt like she had to carry her along with her. It was sweet, sure, but it wasn't necessary. Hopefully Jasper understood.  
  
When she went to lunch, she realized that she did not. Jasper was already there, looking for her, and looking angrier than before. The water-controlling girl attempted to find a way to get to a table without being seen, but it's hard to go unnoticed by someone who's been so close to her for so long. Soon, a massive wall stood in her way, staring down at her with an expression of desperation and frustration that managed to leave her frozen.  
  
"Lapis, please, tell me what I did wrong," she urged her, reaching to put a hand on her shoulder, and Lapis had to try her best not to flinch.  
  
Forcing herself to speak, Lapis replied, "P-people are watching right now."  
  
"Everyone's always watching us, Lapis! If you're not gonna tell me what's wrong now, when are you gonna tell me?" Jasper asked, growing more angered by her deliberate avoidance of the subject.

Closing her eyes, Lapis gave a straight-forward response: "Y-you're not giving me space, okay?! I don't like when you grab onto me! I love you, and how you are, but I don't love when you act like I always have to be around you!"

  
The atmosphere grew thicker after that, with Jasper not knowing how to reply, and it gave Lapis a good opportunity to make her way to a table and let herself blend in. Of course, you can't blend in well after a scene like that- it's like she poured black paint into a bucket and splashed it onto a red brick wall.  
  
Over the next couple days, Lapis saw that she might've gotten through to her- she began to spend less time around her, no longer grabbing her, and no longer texting her demanding anything. She tried to make things go back to normal, still holding Jasper close when she could and showing she still loved her, but something about it felt different.   
  
On the weekend, she found the time to go down to the nearby lake and attempt to do her usual routine- make the water rise before letting it fall down like rain. However, it took a lot more energy to do it this time around, and she couldn't get it nearly as high. Afterward, she felt a bit tired, like she had just ran a lap; she still posted what she recorded, knowing that people who followed her would get a kick out of it. Something didn't sit right with her, though, and she wasn't sure exactly what it was. It encouraged her to shoot a text to Jasper, telling her she wouldn't be able to see her at her track meet; she knew she'd be disappointed, but she figured she needed a bit of R&R to get her powers back to normal.  
  
When she next saw Jasper at school, it was not upon walking into class- it was as she was walking through the hallway toward class. She must've been looking for her, and when she found her, she essentially cornered her into a conversation. She was shocked to see bandages on her nose, but she had no time to ask about them.  
  
"Do you not love me anymore?" she bluntly asked with complete seriousness, drawing some eyes- but since this was first period, and kids were walking to class, it wasn't as big of an audience as the infamous lunch fiasco.  
  
A bit taken aback, Lapis stuttered, "E-excuse me?"  
  
"Don't play dumb with me Lapis Lazuli- I know how powers work! I was going to place first in the 800, but when I tried to kick in my super-speed, all I got was a face-plant and a broken nose! If you really loved me as much as I loved you, I would've won that race instead of my runt of a sister! I did everything you asked, so what is it I'm doing wrong?!"  
  
At this point, Lapis was feeling claustrophobic, backed against the lockers with the only thing in her view being an angry woman who was pinning her broken nose on the amount of love being felt toward her. Her breathing became heavier, and when students began to take notice, they did the reasonable thing: went to grab a teacher to pull Jasper away. No student would've been able to get that hunk of muscle to move an inch, and even the teachers had trouble, but luckily Jasper was a bit willing to let Lapis calm down. It certainly wasn't ideal that she was being made to get away from Lapis for the rest of the day. 

After what seemed like forever, they eventually tried to make up; Jasper came over to Lapis's house with the hopes of getting their relationship back on track. Sadly, Lapis felt as if she only made things worse. The best part of the whole interaction was them sitting next to each other silently, avoiding eye contact, and Lapis just pretended they were back in their first year of knowing each other before things got complicated. But it didn't last: eventually, they were having an argument, and Jasper was finding herself on the losing end. It was even shocking to Lazuli how commanding she could be, and part of her found some sort of catharsis from yelling at her former girlfriend for all that she's done. It wasn't long before she said something that really set her off- she blocked the words out of her mind, leaving her with images of Jasper's teary-eyed angry face, making her remember that she was the one person who could make that tough girl cry. When Jasper came closer, reaching a hand out to silence her in some way, Lapis was quick to strike first.  
  
With all her energy, she summoned her last watery limb and slapped Jasper away. Before the realization of what she did dawned on her, she passed out. This time, no one caught her, and she landed on the couch behind her. As for Jasper, she tried to run as fast as she could, but the energy was drained from her, and it took her an hour to get back to her house that was just two blocks away.  
  
Despite all the time that passed since then, with this being the last weekend before high school began, it still hurt to think about the way she was. Perhaps she did lead her on. Maybe she shouldn't have said those things about Jasper, especially knowing how much she wanted things to work. All in all, though, she concluded she wasn't ready to be powerful again. She put her jeans in the wash and began to take an over-emotional shower, with her clothes for tomorrow being ready for wearing- a blue flowing skirt and a matching backless crop-top.   
  
She had no idea what this new school would be like, but she hoped that she could keep a low profile and not let eyes draw toward her like they did in those strange middle school years. No longer would she be a water witch- she'd just be Lapis Lazuli, that moody silent girl who keeps to herself and doesn't yell out in class. Nothing would prepare her for what was to come in her first day of this new era of her life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this chapter lives up to the hype- stay tuned to the next chapter, it'll get plenty juicy I'm sure. Hopefully I portrayed these characters well, I have little experience with romance and break-ups and translating the events of the show to real life can be tricky, but I've done my best. And wow, this chapter certainly is long. Enjoy, then!


	3. Close Encounter with the Nerd Kind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anything can happen on the first day of high school, although that doesn't mean you're gonna be prepared.

For Peridot, it seemed strange how fast her middle school years went by, and how quick high school approached. It was just yesterday she had become acquainted with Pearl and her insistence on being precise and pristine; of course, that was not meant to be taken literally, as she had learned when first hearing the phrase. In reality, they met in their first year of middle school and had been friends ever since, with Peridot appreciating Pearl's quirks, and Pearl appreciating Peridot's. Things didn't start off hot between them, but that was not uncommon for Peridot, as she tended to have trouble with introductions. It probably wasn't a good idea to greet her with a joke about how she looks like she's some kind of British maid, tacking on a joke about fetching her some tea. Luckily, Pearl was fond of tea, so it wasn't as if she totally insulted her- just mostly.

Despite all the wonderful memories from the past four years, like all the times she almost broke her glasses while in the dreaded Physical Education class (no, she would not call it P.E., what a trite abbreviation), to the day she was paired with Aquamarine in a class project and had to hear her go on about how perfect her memory was, she was sure that with enough hard work, she could make high school even better. Thinking about it, it sounded pretty cheesy, something Peridot was not exactly known for. Maybe Steven was rubbing off on her, with his charm and knack for making her chuckle, although she would never admit it out loud- nobody could ever know that the cold, calculating Peridot was softened by a kid who genuinely played the ukulele.

She was wasting too much time thinking- now, it was time to get ready for her first day, since it was a mere hour and a half before the bus came to pick her up. While she had desperately searched for another way to be taken to school, it seemed that with the distance from her house to the school, and her mom's job making her unable to drive her, riding the bus was the only option. Peridot feared the worse when it came to getting on a large slow-moving metal box filled with all kinds of screaming juvenile teens, but she realized it was not a good idea to be so negative about this situation. For all she knew, she could be wrong, and it might be surprisingly quiet. that was at least what she told herself as she got her stuff ready, including her alien backpack with a multi-colored flag on the back... mostly as a test to see if she could get any cute girls to notice if she put it out there that she was interested. All ready for school with some time to spare, she sat by the window on her laptop, looking for new fanart of a new favorite cartoon of hers. Her schedule was tucked into her back pocket, in case she were to forget her classes, although she's had about a week to memorize them. It didn't even cross her mind that she might meet her soulmate on the first day; it just felt a bit far-fetched, and almost cliche. But hey, anything can happen, or at least that's what she's been told.

___

It wasn't exactly the most pleasant awakening for Lapis Lazuli, especially considering the circumstances. It was her first day of high school, and the first thing that greeted her was her dog Pumpkin jumping on her face. She understood that she needed out, but don't most dogs just sit and whine rather than literally tackle you? Luckily, her outfit wasn't ruined, although since it was raining outside, it wasn't exactly a pleasant environment for such a dress. Luckily, rain blended in with a blue outfit. At the very least, it was a relatively uneventful morning otherwise, and she was relieved to see no messages from... well, that's long gone by now, but it's good to have reassurance. It wasn't a long way to school, so she intended to simply walk- given the fact that her mother was already at work, and they had not called the school to tell them to pick her up, that was pretty much her one option. So even if she decided she'd rather not walk in the rain while wearing a backless crop-top, she'd have to deal with it. Lapis felt bad leaving her little Pumpkin alone, but she knew that the little pup could handle being alone, and she did have plenty of toys to play with and lots of water to drink. Soon, Lapis was heading out, quite prepared for what she expected to be quite a boring first day- after all, she highly doubted that she would know anybody here, and anyone who she did know had the chance to jeopardize her plans of laying low by spreading around rumors about her former life. Middle school was behind her, along with her relationship troubles and any real hopes she once had of revisiting her powers. None of that mattered, but what did matter was making sure she didn't do anything to ruin her image.

Once she stepped into school, she realized something- in all this confusion, Lapis forgot to have breakfast. This realization made her frustrated, as she knew school breakfast was a major step down from what could be enjoyed at home, and she hadn't packed anything to eat. Not wanting to spend her first day starving, though, she went to the cafeteria to get a quick bite. Luckily, they were serving something somewhat decent on the first day- tiny breakfast pizzas. Combining it with a banana, some juice and milk, she imagined it would probably help her get through the next few hours until lunchtime. Once she finished eating, she avoided eye contact with anyone before heading to... wait, she needed to check her schedule.  
  
Biology class, what luck. The first class was something that took as much brain power for her as possible. Hopefully, they'd spend the period just discussing what to expect and not jump right into talking about cutting open frogs or something. If she was lucky, she could find someone smart to chat with who she could trick into helping her if she ever needed it. Although, Lapis had doubts she'd be capable of such deception- not because of her inability to play tricks on people, but because of her reluctance to talk to anyone.  
  
If it wasn't for the room number being listed on her schedule, she might've never found her class, with how crowded everything was and how many doors she had to walk past. Pretty soon, she reached Ms. Opal's classroom, and somehow she was the first one there.  
  
"Um, is everyone else sick...?" Lapis questioned to the teacher, who was just sitting at her computer.  
  
When she looked up, she took a second to register what the student said, but then laughed and remarked, "No, I think you're just a fast walker. Take a seat wherever you'd like!"  
  
Well, that sure is a big decision to make, having rows and rows of empty seats to choose from. To keep from looking too lone wolf-like, but to decrease the risk of being called on, she sat in the middle seat in the middle row. Of course, she realized this would make moving out after the bell rang a bit inconvenient, but she enjoyed a challenge from time to time.  
  
Soon, she found her own way to pass the time as she waited for the rest of the class to get here- sketching in her notebook. She never considered herself an artist, but it was a fun way to express her feelings. Still life was her best talent, drawing leaves and oceans, but she started to dabble in more abstract stuff- things she could feel, not things she could see.   
  
"What's that you're drawing? Looks cool!"  
  
The nasally and enthusiastic female voice startled her, especially since it was from so close by and she hadn't even heard this student come in, and she was embarrassed that she had let out an audible sound of surprise upon hearing it- even accidentally breaking the tip off her pencil. Quickly, she looked toward the source of this sound, and saw a sight that surprised her.  
  
This girl wore nearly all green, including an alien hoodie and a similarly themed backpack, and had large round glasses- for a second she could've sworn they were literally tinted green. Freckles were placed all around her face, and in an interesting way, her hair seemed to be triangle-shaped- sticking straight up, and poofy at the sides. She spent so long looking at her, from her black boots to her... shirt, that she completely missed that she actually said something else.  
  
With a blush, Lapis asked, "W-what was that?"  
  
"Um, I said 'sorry for startling you.' I'm guessing you weren't very prepared for the first day."  
  
Chuckling, the blue-haired teen admitted while having trouble deciding where to look while talking before settling on direct eye contact, "I-I guess not, but to be fair, I'm not usually ready for anything."  
  
"Heh, that makes two of us. My friends were trying to get me excited for today because I might meet someone special who'll give me superpowers and all that, but I know statistically speaking it will be quite improbable to meet that person on the first day. Not impossible, mind you- low chances are still chances, which is probably why my mom still buys lottery tickets despite having a well-paying job- but definitely not something to bet on. Anyway, I should introduce myself- I'm Peridot, Peridot Facette. What's your name?"  
  
Lapis Lazuli blinked, a bit taken aback by how much she talked in one breath. She was even more surprised that she hadn't tried to interrupt her- perhaps it was her enthusiastic tone that made her reluctant to cut her off, or she was genuinely interested in what she had to say. Man, for such a calm atmosphere as this, her heart seemed to be pumping a bit- she'd need to ask the teacher to do something about the thermostat.  
  
To keep  _Peridot_ (what a unique name) from waiting, she answered her question, "I'm Lapis, Lapis Lazuli."  
  
"Lapis Lazuli? Wow, you already sound like a superhero! Not a bad thing, of course, it'll just get you prepared for when you eventually get powers!"  
  
That made her blush a bit more, and she wasn't sure why- it was an innocent enough remark after all, and it's not like she was still brooding over what happened with Jasper. And how did she never think about how her name actually sounded?  **L** apis  **L** azuli- she was gonna be thinking of that all day now, thanks a lot Peridot.   
  
She stopped being silent to chuckle a bit at her own thought, and as to not make herself look like a weirdo who just laughs randomly, she commented, "Yeah, I guess- I mean, Peridot's a neat name too, right? And I've never heard anyone with the last name Facette."  
  
Now it was the green-wearing blonde's turn to blush, who nervously laughed and remarked, "P-perhaps it's not necessarily a common name, no- you're not one to talk, though, with a name like Lazullli."

 

Hearing her last name pronounced like that made her laugh surprisingly loud, and it was only then she realized everybody was already here- maybe she and Peridot were talking too loudly? Well, it seemed as if Opal had not yet begun class, so that was no problem anyway- everyone else was having their own conversations.   
  
"O-oh, um, I realize I never answered your question earlier, about the drawing- I just like to doodle when I'm bored, I've been trying abstract stuff recently, it's kinda dumb but it's a nice way to pass the time."  
  
Peridot moved in surprisingly close to get a good look at the art, and Lapis wondered if she was the only one who suddenly felt warmer. She could tell Peridot was saying some stuff, but all of it was coming out as a bit of a blur.  
  
Finally, Peridot piped up and exclaimed, "Yep, this is great stuff! I could never do something like that- especially not when I have my brain turned off! It's weird, I can do math without having to even stress, but when I have to express myself suddenly it feels like my life is on the line. Like I remember just the other year I- oh, sorry, you probably don't wanna hear a long story, it's pretty early."  
  
Seeing her expression change from incredibly enthused- merely by talking about Lapis's art in relation to her own- to somewhat dejected, Lapis felt for some reason she had to save the situation, without anything really being in danger. So, she assured the girl, "Y-you're fine, I'm all ears! Plus, it's not like we have any assignments to worry about, right?"  
  
"Wait, really? Most people I meet tend to say I talk too much, it's rare to find someone actually interested in what I have to say... sorry, that's too negative, let me just tell you what I was gonna say. So just last year I was in art class, right?..."  
  
The tall girl in the crop-top felt like she could listen all day, finding something about the way Peridot spoke pretty enjoyable. She had a way with words, saying things in a much more elaborate manner than she would've imagined. If she had just seen her from across the room she would've assumed she was shy and quiet, but right now all her expectations were blown away. Right as the story was getting to the end, and Peridot's face was lighting up in a way that was rivaling the lamp on the teacher's desk, the bell rang and Lapis was treated to hearing her squeal in surprise, followed by seeing her blush in embarrassment.  
  
With an awkward laugh, she remarked, "Man, that catches me off-guard too many times... hey, what periods do you have next? You're a good conversationalist, and I'd be happy to have someone to sit by who I already am acquainted with!"  
  
 _Acquainted? Conversationalist?_ _Was she a walking dictionary or something?_ _Wait, she wants to know about my periods, let me grab those real quick...  
  
_ Fumbling to grab her schedule, she soon unfolded it and laid it on her desk, and Peridot did a good job circling the classes she shared in bright green pen.   
  
"Soo, I guess I'll see you at lunch then," Lapis realized, looking at the places circled- they seemed to have every other period together.  
  
With a laugh, despite nothing funny being said, Peridot replied, "I guess so! See you around, Lazuli!"  
  
Peridot grabbed her stuff and headed out, and Lapis was left as one of the last ones to leave, which was pretty ironic since she had gotten here surprisingly fast. As she left, thoughts buzzed in her mind- why did this girl wear so much green? Why did she sound so confident despite being short enough to look like an elementary schooler? How did her hair work?   
  
Most importantly, Lazuli wondered, why was she so... cute?   
  
 _Cute._ Once the word entered her mind it couldn't disappear.  
  
____  
  
Peridot snickered to herself as she walked out of the classroom. " _See you around Lazuli._ Heh, you're such a clod, Peridot- of course she's going to see you around, you have half your classes together!"  
  
"You sure are happy today," remarked Pearl as she walked by, looking ready as ever.

With a nod, Peridot admitted, "I think I made a new friend- Lapis Lazuli, she does art stuff I think!"  
  
"Oh really? What's she like?"  
  
 _Tall. Mysterious. Cool. Charming._ **Hottt-**  
  
"Blue!" she blurted out, blushing before the word came out but blushing more now. "Um, yeah, her hair's blue, very unique..."

It appeared that something was going on with her this morning... she would assume she either had too much or not enough coffee, then promptly file this issue away into the "forget forever" pile. Now, it's time to continue school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's kind of a silly title, but what do you expect at this point? I feel so happy finally bringing these characters together, I hope it worked well! This isn't all, though, so tune in soon!


	4. Feeling Things Is Hard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not long after meeting each other, these dorks are gonna have to comes to term with their feelings.

Two minutes, sixteen seconds. That was the exact amount of time it was since Peridot last looked at  _her_ since sitting in this chair. She only counted it because she was bored of being in math class with no actual work to do, no other reason, not at all.  
  
Peridot could try, but there was no sense denying it- she thought Lapis Lazuli was hot. Cute wasn't the right word for it- it seemed diminutive, belittling. If people could oh-so-frequently use it as a term of teasing toward her (playfully or otherwise), no way could it be applied sincerely to Lapis, that would be an insult. Perhaps she thought about this a bit too thoroughly after meeting her so recently; after all, she didn't know everything there was to know about this person. For all she knew, she could secretly hate her. Okay, maybe that was a bit of an extreme proposition, and she had been reminded time and time again by Pearl not to assume people she meets are going to hate her. It is a safety mechanism, though, and it appeared to Peridot that the girl had been growing uneasy by her increased interest in her art.  
  
"Alright class, now that you know me," Mr. Rainbow (yes, his real name, not a joke) piped up after having introduced himself and explained all of his many interests, "how about you all get to know each other? You're all new here, at least most of you I assume! See if you can get along~"  
  
Now the pressure was on for Peridot to stop festering in her weird emotions and talk to strangers. That's peachy. Kids were already moving around to talk to one another, and the green-wearing girl didn't know where to go. Thankfully, a tap on her shoulder alerted her to a quick invitation to a conversation.  
  
In front of her was someone quite unfamiliar, obviously, but not exactly who'd she call a regular schoolgoer. She wore shorts that looked like she literally cut the sleeves off of her skinny jeans with scissors, a black tanktop, some small white shoes, and shiny purple hair that almost reached to her ankles. Hair like that defied so many laws of physics, it made Peridot's head spin. Peridot certainly would've remembered meeting someone like this in middle school.  
  
With a smile, the girl asked, "Hey, what's your deal? You look kinda confused right now."  
  
"I am  _not_ confused," Peridot insisted, not realizing that her blush was giving all the answers she wasn't, "I am simply a bit unaccustomed to the practice of... well, conversing with unfamiliar people!"  
  
With a hearty laugh, she teasingly replied, "Man, you sure like syllables huh? Don't worry, I'm just joking! My name's Amethyst, what about you?"  
  
"Um, I'm Peridot, Peridot Facette."  
  
Suddenly Amethyst grew more excited and she exclaimed, "Oh,  _Peridot?_ Someone last period was just talking about you! She was saying something about you crushi- mmph!"  
  
Quickly, and with a fierce attitude, a hand covered Amethyst's mouth, leaving her surprised that Peridot had the bravery to do something like that to a stranger. Quickly, the hand was retracted and a powerful blush overcame Peridot's cheeks as she tried to stutter an apology.  
  
"Um, e-excuse me for that, I... I'm just rather embarrassed to have someone talk about it like that."  
  
Taking it in stride, the purple-haired girl assured her, "It's cool, I get it. Hey, if it makes it fair, I'll tell you who  _I'm_ crushing on if you tell me yours."  
  
"I guess technically that  _would_ be fair... but you have to tell me  _yours_ first."  
  
Blushing a little too, Amethyst over-dramatically sighed and admitted, "Okay, I know it seems far-fetched, but the girl who told me about  _your_ crush? Yeah, she's mine."  
  
"Oh, I guess that's... wait, it was Pearl, right? Nobody else knew about me meeting her, and she always seems to read me like a book."  
  
Chuckling a little, she confirmed, "Yeah, that's her- okay, your turn, no stalling!"  
  
"O-okay, alright... Lapis, Lapis Lazuli. Blue hair, like way taller than me, this long skirt, a crop-top with the back exposed..."  
  
There was a moment of awkward silence as Peridot was clearly thinking about her, and with her description, Amethyst could tell why. It certainly wasn't making it any harder to tease her over it, though.   
  
Poking at the girl's chest playfully, Amethyst snickered, "Looks like someone's getting horny on the first day~"  
  
" _Y-you can't say that!_ I am not um, turned on by Lapis, I just find her appearance... a-aesthetically pleasing," she claimed, her face unbelievably red from the way she had been effectively teased.  
  
Nodding with clear sarcastic belief, the girl remarked, "Uhuh, yeah, sure. Maybe to make you feel better I can tell you what  _I_ like about Pearl, and if you're comfortable enough after you can gush about Lapis?"  
  
It seemed like a better deal than having to spend too much more time admitting to her feelings, so she nodded and waited. She realized Amethyst was surprisingly detailed about what she liked about Pearl, and she described things she never would've imagined, like the way she smiles when she's saying something smart, or how smoothly she moves (like some sort of ballerina). It made her wonder if the way she viewed Lapis was completely unique to everyone else, and if she tried to describe her to people, they would have trouble at first realizing what she's talking about. After all, if she is indeed having a 'crush' on Lapis, she certainly must have some unique thoughts on her...  
  


...like her unique outfit, clearly showing she has a distinct taste in fashion, or her dark blue hair showing she wants to stand out but not too much meaning she must have at least some issues she's working through, or how good her-  
  
"Earth to Peridot, you're burning up on re-entry over here," Amethyst teased, pointing at Peridot's cheeks as she snapped her out of her daze.  
  
Jumping a bit, Peridot realized she really was getting warm and red from her thoughts. "H-how long was I, um, doing that?"  
  
"I'll be honest, I noticed it almost immediately after I started talking. I guess hearing me talk about how hot I thought Pearl was made you jealous and you wanted a turn at thinking about your girl, right?"  
  
Avoiding the question, the blonde stated, "Lapis is not my girl, we only just met last period. And maybe I do think she's cute, but her pleasant appearance is simply an observable fact. If I want to determine if I really like her deeply, I need to get to know her better."  
  
"Okay, gotcha- tell me how that goes, kay? I'm gonna do that with Pearl, except with me I'm gonna get her number and send her kissy emojis so she blushes the next time she sees me without me saying a word~"  
  
That was oddly specific, and she was unsure of how Amethyst would obtain her number. But soon the bell rang, and it was time to go to the next class. She waved goodbye to who she currently considered one additional friend to add to the gradually growing list, and it dawned on her that she was about to see Lapis again. At this point, it's been nearly an hour since she last saw her, and she wondered if she was thinking about her as much as she was. Well, only time will tell... and that time was around a few minutes, the time it took to get to lunch.  
  
___  
  
Lapis was once again right on time to lunch, with very few people here already, so she got her food and sat down at an empty round table and waited patiently. She was almost certain that Peridot would be here, which was nice, because she was the only face she would recognize. Although she did meet someone new last period who seemed relatively friendly- a dark-skinned girl with an afro and some sick shades who seemed to have an odd way of speaking- she didn't exactly feel like she was really making any records when it came to friend-making. Welp, might as well eat a bit to pass the time...  
  
Several minutes passed of her eating in silence, as more people began to come in, and she nearly lost track of time. A mere moment ago she was waiting for Peridot to show up, but her train of thought had went somewhere else and now her mind jumped to a variety of topics, one of which was most likely Jasper. Before it could get too unpleasant, though, a green blur went into her vision, and suddenly was sitting right next to her, a mere half a foot away.  
  
"Sorry I took so long, I might've tripped on the way down the stairs and nearly broken my glasses, but I'm fine, don't worry! Soo, what happened to you last period? Feel free to fill me in,  _Lapis Lazuli~"  
  
_ The flair used to say that certainly caught the blue-haired girl off guard, and her face suddenly turned a shade of red. The way she was so concerned about the way Lapis was feeling despite not doing anything wrong, how confident she was in contrast to how small and fragile she appeared, her hair, her... everything...  
  
 __Stupid Lazuli, are you falling in love or something?  
  
___  
  
It was a relief when Peridot finally heard Lapis respond: "Oh, um, sure! Be warned, though, it's really kinda boring."  
  
Peridot recalled her words to Amethyst about needing to get to know Lapis in order to know if she would like her, but something was seeming a bit suspicious here... and that 'something' was her nonstop feelings directed straight to Lapis, the moment she heard her start speaking. Man, she missed the sound of her voice. And how her skirt moved from the faintest movements... and the way she...  
  
...darn, she's betraying her own rule. Well, back to the drawing board.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm writing this fast but I have so many ideas and I can't stop! To make up for it, I'm making sure this story will be plenty long!


	5. Side Effects May Include...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day may have been fun, but the second day is when the oddities begin.

For the rest of the day, Peridot didn't count how long each class was- she counted how long she went since having seen Lapis's face. It was pretty silly, she understood, but it wasn't like she had anything better to do. After all, while each class was the same length, it felt in her mind that she spent so long not talking to this interesting girl. She needed to get her number, or her email, or something like that so she could keep in touch even when they're not at school. Perhaps that would come off as obsessive, though- although, Lapis did seem to enjoy her company, maybe  _she'd_ enjoy speaking to her digitally as well. She would never know if she didn't try, though, and time was running out.   
  
___  
  
It was seventh period, their last class together, and like it was common today, nothing was really going on. Lapis had no idea what to say at this point- at least, something to say that wouldn't make her look stupid. If she went out and said "I think you're cute," she'd start getting red, she'd probably embarrass Peridot or even make her uncomfortable, and it would just screw things up. And if she asked a personal question she might think she's trying to document her existence. She's never thought this deeply about simply talking to someone... okay, that's not entirely true, but this is different.   
  
Before she could even open her mouth to say anything to her, though, Peridot went forward and said what was on her mind, leaving her clueless for a response for a period of time: "Do you mind if I uh, give you my number?"  
  
It was a surprising question, and the only reason she took so long to answer (at least it seemed like a while) was that she didn't have great memories with exchanging messages between a girl she liked. However, she decided that since Peridot wasn't nearly as intense as Jasper, she shouldn't be afraid to get personal with her.   
  
"Oh, um, well... s-sure, actually I could give you mine, I have it on me right now!" Lapis replied, reaching to her backpack to retrieve the device, giving nervous glances back to the blonde girl.  
  
In response, Peridot admitted with a smile, "I have my phone on me too, what a coincidence!"  
  
Lapis wanted to say  _that's not really a coincidence_ but found the way she said it too cute to really care. Without another word, she decided to just hand her phone to Peridot  so she could put her number in. For some reason she noticed Peridot sticking her tongue out as she focused in on tying her number in, and she had to quickly look away to make sure it didn't seem like she was staring.  
  
"So, anything you wanna talk about?" Lapis asked nervously, not wanting to lead the conversation and risk just saying something ridiculous.  
  
With a thought, Peridot said something that was meant to be innocent but did unintentionally poke at some nerves: "If  _you_ had powers, what would you think they'd be?"  
  
For a moment she didn't know what to say, or if she should say anything. But if she didn't say anything at all, Peridot would just feel uncomfortable and then they'd get nothing out of the conversation. She wasn't entirely sure if she was ready to discuss her personal issues with Peridot, but she didn't like lying either. At least, not right now.

"Well... I  _have_ had powers before," Lapis admitted.  
  
Immediately, the other girl's eyes lit up, and she asked, "Oh my gosh really?! Are you for real?! I-If you don't mind me asking, what was it like?"  
  
Wait, she's not even asking why she stopped having them, or who it was with? Well, she supposed the powers part was the thing she regretted the least about her relationship, so she should be open about it. So, she decide do tell Peridot what it was like to have water powers- how it made her feel more powerful, how easy it made swimming, how much attention it got her online, everything inside and out. It seemed as if she got a real enjoyment learning about this, like it was genuinely intriguing. It was the first time she's seen someone be this interested in her in a long time, and although a part of her felt self-conscious about it, another part of her felt very appreciated.   
  
She could've spent all day talking to Peridot, but soon the bell rang, meaning they were to go to their next classes, and most likely wouldn't see each other again.  
  
"Hey, I'll message you later, okay? I promise I won't leave you waiting," Lapis assured her with a wink, and immediately she wanted to pull her face right off, especially when it caused the blonde to blush deeply. Not waiting for a reply, Lapis rushed out the door, leaving Peridot to get her stuff.  
  
When she got to the next class, the blue-haired teen has low expectations and assumed it would be fairly uneventful. However, something interesting did happen- a girl with pretty long purple hair started looking at her, narrowing her eyes as if analyzing every part of her, and before she could say anything, the girl rushed over to sit next to her.  
  
The purple-haired chick asked excitedly, "Is your name Lapis Lazuli!?"  
  
"Um... yeah," she replied nervously, and this was probably the first time anyone's asked her that with such excitement.  
  
Grinning ear to ear, she remarked, "Well I know someone who has a crush on you~"  
  
"R-really?!" Lapis asked in surprise, blushing immediately and with quite intensity.   
  
With a nod, she whispered mischievously, "You can't tell her I told you, though, or she'll prolly be miffed."  
  
Lapis nodded slowly, just waiting to hear who apparently had a crush on her. The moment she heard Peridot's name come out of her mouth, though, she simultaneously felt like fainting and felt stupid for not realizing it.   
  
______  
  
School was finally over, and Peridot was getting on the bus with a pep in her step she did not expect from herself. Today she met a cute girl and got her number, what was there to not be happy about? And when she got home, there was delivered pizza for dinner, and although her mother had to work late due to an important meeting, it still kept her good mood going. When she hit the hay, she felt a nice warm energy inside her, one that she was not used to feeling unless she spent too long around Steven and his weird big cat. It was something she was not going to take for granted, but she wasn't going to assume this was going to be recurring. It could be a fluke, for all she knew, and maybe this girl didn't feel the same way about her. Anyway, she could think about all of this in the morning, when her head was clear.  
  
When she woke up the next morning, a strange sensation was overtaking her- it was fuzzy and warm, and she had no idea where it was coming from. Maybe she was still happy about yesterday, but that wouldn't explain how she felt like this the moment she woke up. Anyway, she needed to turn her alarm off, so she simply reached for her phone, it floated into her hand, she turned it off, and she-  
  
Wait.  
  
Did she... did she really see that happen?  
  
She dropped her phone in shock, which was unlike her, and she'd definitely be upset at herself if she broke it; however, this was a fitting reaction to what she just witnessed.   
  
There is a reasonable explanation for this, she just knows it. Maybe she just didn't see things correctly, or it only looked like she just pulled her phone toward her like a Jedi. But once she thought about it for long enough, she knew there was only one logical explanation: over night, she developed powers that in some way allowed her to move her phone, and therefore... she must've met her soulmate today.  
  
Sure, she knew that you'd develop superpowers pretty soon after meeting them, but the idea that she could've met her soulmate the very first day of school was... wow.  
  
Now that this was settled, she needed to determine exactly who it was fast as possible. Mostly so she could geek out over  _having a soulmate_ and  _having superpowers_ with whoever is experiencing this with her. At first, she thought she could just make a list of everyone she's interacted with on her first day... but glancing at her phone with the additional contact that she just received, she figured better safe than sorry.  
  
______  
  
Lapis couldn't believe her flipping eyes. She had went to the bathroom to take a shower since she forgot to do so after school the other day, and suddenly she was moving the water...  _with her mind._ Was she dreaming? Were her eyes broken? Did she need a doctor? Okay, the last question was the most easily answered, but...  
  
Then, she saw her phone buzz on the sink, and without putting a towel on (as it wasn't like anyone was gonna walk in since she was alone in the house once more), she reached over to see who messaged her so early. What she saw certainly was... telling.   
  
peridork: hey uh can i tell you about somethin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figure I should jump into the next chapter full force! Hope you're all invested so far~


	6. So We're Soulmates Or Something?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's no right or wrong reaction to finding out that someone you think is cute/hot is actually your soulmate and that your bond gave you both superpowers... but there are some pretty varying ones.

Peridot felt dumb sending such a simple, short message, as it made it seem like she needed help with math problems, not that she just discovered something absolutely life-changing that was simultaneously making her geek out and making her face get redder than a tomato. However, she was relieved to find that Lapis messaged back seeming quite understanding, although it definitely was making her feel a lot more excitable:  
  
lazuli: i think i know what u mean  
  
lazuli: should we wait til we get to school to talk about this?  
  
For a moment she just wanted to say "No, this is far too important to wait for!" but then she remembered,  _they have first period together._ Thinking about that made her squeal with excitement, especially since they basically would be free to talk about whatever they wanted. And, if they truly somehow were soulmates in the most literal definition of the word, it means that Pearl, Steven and all her friends were right, and she _wasn't_ doomed to be alone! ...that was a double-edged sword, as while she was happy at the prospect of finding someone who was meant to be with her, the idea of admitting that her friends are right about something is... well, a bit weird. She didn't want to complain though; if that was the price to pay for potentially having her first kiss, then it would be worth it. Just thinking about that made her face even redder, but a growl from her stomach made her realize that in all this excitement she forgot to eat anything. School breakfast would take too long anyway, so she was getting some cereal from home. Not before messaging her friend (possibly soon-to-be-more) back, though.   
  
_____  
  
As she was waiting for a response from Peridot, she decided to get dressed, and since she was spending so long not attempting to use her powers again in fear that when she tried they'd suddenly be gone and she'd discover this all to be a dream, part of her didn't expect any message back. However, she soon got a blip on her phone that corrected her assumptions.  
  
peridork: sure. i can not convey it through text but my heartrate is faster than normal. this level of stress is not good for me. now i shall get myself some breakfast before waiting for the bus  
  
She let out a snicker, which she almost felt bad for, since her friend being stressed wasn't really something to laugh about. Reading that out in Peridot's voice, though,  _did_ add a small level of humor. Something about hearing her excited, nasally but somewhat calming voice saying that was as funny as imagining Morgan Freeman reading out the back of cereal boxes. Probably funnier, really, since these come straight from the girl herself.   
  
Inspired by her friend's words, she decided to get some breakfast at home to eat so she could just walk to school and head straight to class. She didn't have anything better than Pop Tarts, but hey, it beats being hungry or having to spend too long sitting in the cafeteria when valuable discussions could be had. She ate them a bit too fast, but she couldn't really be blamed for wanting to get something as unimportant as breakfast out of the way on a day like this. So many questions were flowing through her mind, she almost wished she would message Peridot back and say "nevermind, let's talk about this right now." but discussing it in class would be more fruitful in the long-run and wouldn't make her seem crazy, so she just tucked her phone into her backpack, placed the backpack on her back, then began to head out.   
  
_____  
  
She had to admit, while she had originally written breakfast cereal off as nothing but glorified candy, it did go her very well in giving her a sugar rush that was quite justified when it came to this situation. When she got on the bus, she got to her seat in no time at all, right next to her friend Pearl.  
  
Both of them turned to each other simultaneously, as if both needing to say something, and Pearl sheepishly muttered, "Um, you first, Peridot."   
  
"Oh, well... I'm not entirely certain, but I feel as if I have found a... s-soulmate," she admitted, voice getting softer as she spoke.  
  
However, that final word stood out to the tall friend as if it had been shouted into her ear, and she gasped and asked, "R-really?? I-I don't mean to make it seem like you having a soulmate is unbelievable, but the chances of this are so small that- um, well, if you must know, I think the same thing might've happened to me."  
  
"W-Wait, what?! You must be joking! Both of us finding a soulmate in the same place?! With odds like this we could both win the lottery!"  
  
Pearl chuckled a bit at her friend's remark before jumping back into full energy mode by asking, "Do you know who it might be??  
  
"I do have a hypothesis, but I can't determine this until we meet each other again. Then again, with how crazy my brain got when I looked at her, I feel as if any other option would be quite unlikely," Peridot admitted with her cheeks growing red.  
  
With a growing smile, Pearl remarked, "I think I have a 'hypothesis' for who you're talking about~"  
  
"Heh, I already know who  _you're_ talking about too- does purple hair ring a bell?" the blonde girl teased.  
  
Immediately Pearl's face grew redder and she admitted with embarrassment, "Somehow it slipped my mind it could've been her!"  
  
"Nyehehe, for real? Man, even the smartest girl in the world can't figure that one out huh? Anyway, what power did you get?" she asked with excitement.  
  
Her face less red than before, the tall girl admitted, "I don't think I can demonstrate it here, since it would draw more attention than I'd prefer, but... I think I've gained the ability to  _clone myself!"  
_

"Oh my stars, that is amazing! I'd never expect you to get a power like that, to be honest, but still, that's really cool! I think I got the ability to control metal, I'll have to do some more tests later though!" Peridot exclaimed, snickering a bit and having trouble containing herself.   
  
Then, Pearl reminded her, "You don't need to wait- you have a phone with you at all times, so you could take it out and test it!"  
  
She was very grateful that she reminded her of that, with plenty of time until they pulled into the school parking lot. Concentrating hard, she began to use her mind to lift her phone out of her pocket and into the air. It got the attention of many people who began showing their amazement at this early-morning display- the only one not acting impressed was the bus driver, who just wanted to get these kids to school on time.  
  
"Wow Peridot, you were right! Now if only I had a convenient way to test out my ability," she remarked, as Peridot just watched starry-eyed as her phone floated back to her hand like it was a balloon.  
  
So, she confirmed she didn't see things, and her phone was indeed levitating by her own volition. Now, she must determine if Lapis got powers along with her, and if that does indeed mean they are meant for each other. Her number one fear right now is discovering the universe made a mistake and that her supposed soulmate doesn't feel the same way...  
  
_____  
  
It seemed awfully convenient, or inconvenient, that Lapis as once again the first person to class. The teacher cracked a joke about it when she entered, but she was barely able to even pay attention due to how focused she was on what she was going to say to Peridot. "Hey, I think you're cute, and I also think that you magically gave me the ability to manipulate water again!" Okay, that's definitely a bit too forward, but what is the proper way to explain to someone you think that somehow you are their soulmate? Granted, the fact that Peridot apparently has a crush on her should be proof enough, but part of her was in denial due to the fact that  _she's Lapis Lazuli._ Not that nobody's ever had a crush on her before, but how can both a big buff girl and an adorable nerdy girl have a crush on the same person?   
  
Soon, everyone began to head into class to their respective seats, with Peridot getting their pretty fast all things considered and sitting next to Lapis immediately. Both of them turned to each other, eagerness in their eyes, and Lapis knew the blonde wanted to talk just as much as she did. However, Ms. Opal chose this moment to give out a small but still distracting assignment.  
  
"I want you all to fill out this fun form, giving your name, your favorite color, and all sorts of fun facts about yourself! After you're done, you can hand it back to me and I might read them aloud!" she giggled, handing out the papers to everybody.  
  
This was not enough to distract from what they knew they needed to discuss, though- while absent-mindedly filling out their forms, they both began to have their vital conversation.  
  
Rather bluntly, Lapis asked Peridot, "Did you get superpowers?"  
  
"Um, yes- how did you guess?" she asked, looking somewhat surprised.  
  
With a laugh, Lapis proceeded to demonstrate by forming a ball of water in her hands and just sucking it up and swallowing it. "That's how."  
  
Immediately, she witnessed the girl's face grow very red, and she started to breathe heavily. Oh no, she killed Peridot second day of school.  
  
"Um, is everything okay...?" Ms. Opal asked, approaching slowly.  
  
Before Lapis could fumble her way through an explanation, the cute blonde nerd assured her, "Y-yeah, we're fine! W-we just found out we're like, soulmates or something and we both have cool powers and-"  
  
"Aww, for real? That makes you two my first couple! You're lucky to meet the first week, many kids take a few months to meet their soulmates, and some people don't even meet them til they're adults!" the teacher remarked, disregarding her previous concern and heading back to her desk.   
  
Many kids heard Peridot's declaration and find themselves snickering, while others were just looking on at how adorable the two of them were. It obviously made Lapis feel self-conscious, but that wasn't really at the top of her list of concerns.  
  
Shyly, the blue-haired girl asked, "Do you really think we're... soulmates?"  
  
"O-of course I believe that, I can hardly think of another reason the two of us would both gain superpowers after meeting each other, especially since I, um..."  
  
Although she did want to let her finish, she had an idea of what she was going to say, and she felt like if she waited too long Peridot would just explode from blushing too hard so she replied, "You... have a crush on me?"  
  
"H-how... how did you know that...?" she asked, and man, if she hadn't been sure before, she just knew this girl was the one from how cute she looked saying that.  
  
With an embarrassed look, Lapis admitted, "Someone kinda... t-told me about it... but I also find you really cute, and with us both having powers, I figured the chances of us not being soulmates at this point was small."  
  
"W-wow..."  
  
Suddenly, Peridot straight-up fainted, and Lapis quickly tried to stop her before she could hit the ground, resulting in water-like chains forming around her arms and pulling her up. She pulled so fast, she had to catch her, and that then resulted in her arms wrapping around the girl, looking like an adorable hug. In fact, it was pretty adorable, the 'hug' part was the only thing that could be argued.  
  
Where did this seem familiar...? Lapis discovering with full confidence that she had a soulmate in a scenario where one person fainted and the other had to catch them...  
  
She'd question the plausibility of that happening twice in a row, and whether this was going to be different the rest of the way, another time; she needed to take Peridot to the school nurse to make sure that fainting thing wasn't a sign.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on a roll with this aren't I? I mean, it's spring break, not like I have anything better to do, and this site makes posting new chapters almost addicting.


	7. Cute + Hot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having powers, having a soulmate, having a super hot soulmate, having a super cute soulmate, being soulmates... it sure is a lot to take in.

When Lapis took Peridot to the school nurse, she had only really prepared to hear her say stuff about how she'll need to try and keep away from physical exercise for a few hours or something like that; however, to her surprise, you can be excused from school here on the day you gain superpowers. So, she now had a golden opportunity to leave on the second day of school with her soulmate (thinking about that would always make her feel so weird) and just do whatever.

"Um, do you think you can call my mom and tell her I'll be going?" Lapis asked nervously- she had her phone on her, but she was unsure how the conversation of "I'm leaving school with my friend because we gained superpowers and oh also we're soulmates" would go with her mother, who was pretty keen on learning about Lapis's personal life.

The nurse thought nothing of the request and gave a swift nod, before asking her, "Do you think you'll need a ride home?"

"Oh, no, that's fine, I can walk home!" she quickly told her.

With a glance to the unconscious blonde girl, the nurse commented, "I hope you're totally sure about that."

"W-well she'll probably wake up before I get home anyway, so... yeah, thank you!" Lapis awkwardly exclaimed, heading out the nurse's office as she began to make a call.

______

The sunlight was blinding Peridot, which was quite annoying, but that wasn't at the top of her mind at the moment. It was far more crucial to think about the fact that she was no longer in school, nor was she in a location familiar to her. She'd have to figure out where she must be by analyzing her surroundings.

Firstly, she could tell she was in some sort of living room- its architecture looked rustic, like something from the eighties.

Secondly, it was obvious that she was on a couch, from how it felt soft beneath her.

Then, she knew her head was resting on something soft, something... breathing?

She gasped and sat up, realizing she had not been resting on a pillow, but on a sleeping Lapis Lazuli. Now, it was pretty clear what was going on: this blue-haired girl had taken her home after she fainted in class, due to something that happened she couldn't recall.

Scratch that, Peridot now remembered, and she was blushing more profusely than she was before. She remained conscious this time, though. But man, someone called her cute, not in a patronizing way like Isn't that so cute? which she'd hear whenever she tried to accomplish something, but she was told that she herself was cute, in a sincere kind way! And if Lapis, someone she found to be quite attractive, told her that, it must be true!

Surely there was something else she was forgetting, or that her mind was trying to let her not remember. What else happened before she fainted? Why exactly would she be taken home afterward? No matter, she just needs to grab her phone and check. For a split second she didn't think it would be there, but she soon realized her backpack was still on. Did Lapis carry her with her backpack on? Wow, she must be strong...

How strange, he was being side-tracked far too easily. Anyway, she unzipped her backpack, reached out her hand, and managed to magically attract her phone directly into her palm where she gripped it firmly.

...that shouldn't have been surprising, but somehow it was.

Okay, her memories were coming back to her. She gained powers over night, and upon meeting Lapis in first period, she gained the knowledge that she did too, and that she found her cute, which allowed them both to come to the conclusion that... they were... soulmates. Peridot promised herself she wouldn't faint again, so instead of letting herself get overwhelmed, she began to take deep breaths... looking at Lapis also kind of helped.

Speaking of Lapis, all sorts of feelings about this girl were flooding her system as she looked at her. Why was she able to alter her mind and fill her with euphoria just at the thought of her without even knowing it? What did Lapis see in a girl like her, one who obsessed over cartoons and had triangle-shaped hair and who was short enough to look like an elementary schooler? Soon she got mad at herself for being so self-depreciating, as if someone she herself found to be hot (thinking that descriptive term felt embarrassing to her somehow) was attracted to her, surely she must see a lot of good qualities in her. And if she really had to know the details, she could ask.

They were, well, soulmates.

Soon, she couldn't help but look at Lapis again, who was still sleeping on the couch, most likely out of exhaustion from carrying her. Never before has she felt such feelings toward someone, not just romantic feelings, or... the other kind, but in general, intense emotions. Rarely did anything make her smile like this. But she felt it was justified right now. She met someone who she really liked, who really liked her. There was still the question of what to do now that they knew that technically they might've been destined for each other, like if they should start holding hands and kissing and... okay, she could probably get hurt if she blushed too hard.

Peridot then heard a sound at the door- seemed that someone was home. A split second before it opened, she made the logical guess that it must've been Lapis's mom, and she was right.

The woman did not look that much different from the teen she Peridot loved, with the primary difference being that she was slightly shorter and older. Plus, she imagined that Lapis wouldn't be so shocked to see her on the couch next to her. Well, that example is a bit too specific, but anyway, that was how she reacted.

"A-Are you... Lapis's... friend?" the mother asked, talking slowly, but clearly seeming excited- Peridot could only guess what she had been told before coming here.

With a hint of nervousness, the nerd responded, "Y-yes... did she tell you everything there was to know?"

"Oh, y-yes, of course!" she replied excitedly. "M-My name is Tourmaline, I'm her mother, of course... I don't wanna get in your space, but I just want you to know that I'm not gonna get in the way of your relationship with my daughter, because if you really did get magic powers after meeting each other, you must really be meant to be! But take things slow, okay? Her last relationship kind of ended because she had been getting overwhelmed by everything, so just keep that in mind."

Wow, and Peridot thought she talked a lot.

With a smile, she wiped away some strange liquid forming in her eyes and responded, "Y-yes, I understand... my name's Peridot, by the way. Peridot Facette."

"Oh wow, I've never heard of a Facette! Must be from outta town," Tourmaline remarked, and before Peridot could correct her, she walked to her room to give them privacy.

______

The sound of her mom talking was enough to almost convince her to keep pretending to be asleep, but she could see Peridot was going to grow tired of just sitting there in silence, so soon she rose up and gave a fake yawn to try and seem convincing.

After an awkward silence, she was asked by the short and far-too-perceptive nerd, "W-were you faking being asleep?"

"Um, of course not! W-well, not the whole time anyway-"

Before she could ramble a new excuse, she suddenly felt something soft press against her, and she realized that Peridot had pulled her into a hug.

She was about to ask what was wrong, but Peridot answered the question before it was asked: "I-I, um, I'm really kinda emotional right now... I just really like you, and I wanna know if this was a big mistake and we weren't meant for each other, or..."

This was the first time that Lapis has seen her friend cry. Part of her thought that despite how sad it was, it was still a cute sight. Another part of her decided that it was a sin to let her cry for a second longer, so she was going to to do anything in her power to stop it. Hopefully she was almost as good with words as she was.

"I-It's okay, it's okay, listen P-Dot, we both love each other don't we? I think you're cute, you think I'm cute, and-"

"Hot."

Her cheeks felt a little warm and she asked, "W-what?"

"I was correcting you. You said that I think you're cute, but in reality, I think you're hot. Please, go on."

How was she to respond to that? Now she felt far too flustered to continue speaking, what a twist of fate.

Luckily, the blonde nerd had her own words to help Lapis too: "Well, I-I'm really glad you love me, because I've never had anyone feel that way toward me before. It just feels so funny, we're so different aren't we?"

"I mean, my last girlfriend was pretty different from me too- and far different than you, let me just say."

Snickering a bit, Peridot remarked as she had completely ceased her production of tears, "Well now you're just trying to make me jealous."

"Hah, no way, you're way better already! I prefer someone who gives me tearful hugs while calling me hot to someone who texts me nonstop!" Lapis remarked.

With a laugh, the other girl admitted, "I'm not doing that to avoid being clingy, I just spend so much time on the computer I forget to use my phone!"

The two girls began to laugh, finding this to be a pretty delightful conversation. Then, Lapis's mother came in with a question:"

"Do you want to tell your parents you want to stay over, Peridot? And um, all the other stuff?"

After a moment of thinking, Peridot responded, "Well, sounds good to me! It's Friday after all, only makes sense! My mom is gonna ask so many questions, nyeheheh."

"I-Is that your regular laugh?" Lapis asked. "Just wondering, because it's really dorky and cute."

Her face turned a shade of red as she responded jokingly, "W-well too bad, I'm never letting you hear it again!"

"Oh yeah, is that a challenge?" she asked with a smile, moving her hands toward her threateningly.

Gasping over-dramatically, Peridot fell backward with her hands up like shields while exclaiming, "No, I'm too ticklish!"

"Come on, you had all the room in the world to move and you literally moved onto your back in front of me, if that's not a sign you wanna get tickled, I don't know what is."

With her blush remaining, the nerd admitted, "This seems odd to discuss the second day of knowing each other."

"Hey, we're soulmates, right? ...also, if you wait too long to tell your mom about this, she might start asking questions. so..."

Not saying another word, she simply took out her phone while letting her 'nyeheh' laugh out to appease Lapis, who definitely enjoyed it, and she soon sent a message informing her mom of everything, from finding a soulmate to getting powers and even staying over. Never before has she asked her mom for something, and now she was asking to stay over with someone because she thought she was her soulmate.... well, there wasn't much room for guessing, but still.

However, she got a message back pretty quick:

mom: :) okay you can stay at her place. but be careful okay? <3

Lapis, reading over her shoulder, remarked, "Heh, yeah let's be careful~"

"Y-you are so weird!" the cute blonde exclaimed, playfully pushing her- although things got awkward when she realized she accidentally touched her boob.

Well, Lapis had switched from having a big buff girlfriend to having a cute, easily flustered girlfriend. She always liked trying new things, and Peridot certainly qualified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for the cute factor to rise an astounding degree! Also, I did not expect to get teary-eyed writing this... I must relate to Peridot more than I expected.


	8. Anything Goes on the Weekend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They discovered they are soulmates, and they have the weekend to work out what that means for them. That homework assignment will be the hardest Peridot or Lapis has ever faced.

 

Peridot was still in Lapis's house. It felt odd to be so close to someone that she's known for such a short amount of time, but the universe has declared them a perfect match, so it isn't like they have a reason to be shy. That in of itself was hard to wrap her head around, though, despite all her knowledge on the mechanics of superpowers: how does the universe just instantly know? Is it based purely on how well they get along, or is it based on a potential for a good future relationship? She knows at least that it must be based on romantic feelings, as she's been good friends with Pearl for some time now and never once have either of them gained powers. So, she figured she should do some investigating.

She sent a quick text to Steven, telling him she wanted to ask him a question about what it was like when he first met Connie. Although it was pretty early to be texting even on a Saturday (she woke up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep because of her conundrum), he was quick to reply; she theorized he was awakened by her text and just decided to message back since he was such a nice kid, although for all she knew he could've been up at night playing the ukulele. He gave a quick explanation: he's actually seen her and had a crush on her before they officially met each other, which confirmed for Peridot that it has to be a mutual liking for it to work, but that when they first met he felt a spark between them that made him feel validated for his crush. Then she proceeded to ask how he was able to know they were perfect for each other so quick, and he admitted he hadn't exactly known; he and Connie had to figure that out over time. It wasn't the most satisfying answer but it was informative, and she thanked him for his help. Then Steven asked if she had found someone she liked, adding that Pearl may or may not've hinted at it to him. Blushing way too early, she admitted she did find what would be called a soulmate, and that she planned on beating up Pearl next time she saw her, and she found great amusement in Steven's concerned reaction to that.

Lapis as still asleep on the couch while she was texting Steven, and she had to keep her phone-light hidden so as to not wake her up. Something about her still was mysterious to her, in all honesty; she felt like she didn't know enough about her, not in a stalker-ish way, just in a general sense. She didn't want to intrude, but at the same time, it was hard not to be curious. Peridot felt like no matter what the blue-haired teen told her, she would still love her anyway, so that must mean it would be logical to know more about her. At the same time, though, she felt like trying to pry would only make things weird between them- if she wanted to share something with Peridot, she would've already, but she didn't. It wasn't like it hurt her feelings that she didn't pour her soul out to her, as there was plenty that the blonde hadn't admitted to her. Admittedly, she realized that the most that she knew about Lapis was that she once had powers and that she likes to draw. She was never one to question fate, but it seemed like she should know more about someone before jumping into something as serious as this with them. Some would say it doesn't matter, and that as long as both of them love each other they shouldn't need to know everything about each other, but it was hard to shake this feeling.

"A-are you already up...?" the other girl muttered, apparently having just woken up.

Quickly turning her phone off, Peridot replied, "S-sorry, I should've gone to the bathroom to use this... it is odd you have not yet moved to your room to sleep, by the way."

"I didn't have enough energy for that honestly, and I would feel bad making you sleep on the couch by yourself- although if you wanna sleep next to me in my bed, by my guest," Lapis remarked, effectively increasing the other girl's blush and making her think many thoughts about that premise. "So, what were you doing up on your phone? I didn't see you as the type to be up late."

She chuckled awkwardly and assured her, "N-nothing much I assure you, just um... c-can I ask you a question?"

"Well, sure, might as well. Be fast, though, I could fall asleep at any moment," she joked.

The question Peridot asked certainly put a dampen on that humorous line, though: "Why did your last relationship end... a-and how can we avoid that?"

_______

It seemed like "before sunrise" would typically be an out-of-the-ordinary time for asking bombshell questions, but at the very least, she didn't have to get her mom as an audience member as she gave a heartfelt response. So, she worked up the courage to reply, hoping she didn't end up sounding dumb.

"Well... okay, first things first, her name was Jasper, I'll just get that out of the way."

Briefly interrupting, Peridot admitted, "I think I might've known a Jasper once... we weren't really friends though, she promised to protect me from bullies but just merely being around her intimidated me."

"W-wait, did you go to my same high school?!" Lapis exclaimed in shock, before covering her mouth in worry she might've spoken too loudly.

The small nerd nodded a bit, although she only just now came to that conclusion based on this evidence, but she quickly asked for confirmation, "Jasper was really tall with white hair right?"

"Y-Yes, that was her! Man, to think that we went to the same school and we never ran into each other... I guess we just got lucky this year. Anyway, yeah, being intimidating was kinda the problem with her. I didn't want to believe what people said about her being scary and a bully, but I think it just comes natural to her, being aggressive... I don't wanna make judgements on her, because I'm sure she has her own issues, but all in all it wasn't really good for me."

After a brief moment of silence, Peridot muttered, "I-I'm sorry if this question has brought up bad memories."

"Hey, I hadn't even gotten finished- you wanted to know how we could avoid going that direction, and I think it's pretty simple. We gotta make sure to treat each other with respect and be honest with each other. I promise I did not think of that on my own, I kinda read a book about relationships after me and Jasper split," she admitted, not mentioning that her mom had bought it for her in a not-so-subtle way of trying to help her.

Then, with a small smile, the other girl asked, "D-do you still have this book?"

"What, you wanna read a two-inch thick book about relationships just because? It's not like you need a book to know how to be a cool girlf- um, I mean..."

Both of their faces turned a deeper shade of red, with Lapis covering her face in embarrassment at blurting something like that out.

She then felt a hand on her shoulder, and a reassuring voice telling her, "It's okay, Lapis, it was just a slip of the tongue. I don't care whether we become girlfriends now or wait later to become official, but if you really feel that way about me, well..."

It was far too early for her to be seeing this adorable nerd tearing up- clearly she must be very emotional, far more emotional than she was at least. That fact almost made Lapis feel weird about spending so much time not wanting to feel anything.

Soon her thoughts were interrupted when she felt the girl lean her head against her- it wasn't kissing but it still seemed somewhat intimate, and it made her face redder as she suddenly was thinking about kissing her.

"Um, you know, I honestly think that you're gonna be way better than Jasper was... she was really clingy and easily angered and honestly really overwhelming... I wasn't good to her either, and I feel like that I made things worse, but what I really wanted to say is, I don't think that could happen with us. Like, I could never imagine Jasper just leaning against me and gently talking about how she felt," Lapis half-joked.

With a small giggle, Peridot admitted, "Yes, she was definitely not gentle, from what I remember... I recall she once made me drop my stuff by pulling me toward her when I was trying to finish my homework after the bell had rung, and it felt sore for a week."

Well, she didn't think she could feel mad about Jasper again, but suddenly she was. Hurting her was one thing, but hurting an innocent little nerd?

"So, I hope that answers your question... by the way, mind if I ask you one in return?" Lapis asked, growing curious.

With a snicker, the other girl asked, "Didn't the phone question already count?"

"Eh, you gave a half-answer, so no. My question is, how much do you like me~?"

Blushing far more than before, Peridot then asked, "I-Is this a serious question?"

"Um, duh. You don't need to answer right now, of course, but I'm just really curious. ...in all honesty, my motivations for asking that were partly just to see you get all red, it makes you look even cuter."

This only made her redder, but soon she proceeded to give a sincere answer: "I really like- no, I really love you, Lapis. I know it still feels weird to say that, because we've known each other for a short amount of time, and... well, I've been conflicted, because if we gained superpowers because of our love, we shouldn't question it, right? But then why do I feel like questioning everything there is to know about this situation? I guess I just wanna make sure we're not doing this too fast, I guess."

"Honestly, that just shows how much you care. Compare that to Jasper, who basically wanted to be with me at all times, and got furious at me when her powers stopped working because I didn't love her back anymore... I think you're definitely a winner," she declared, putting an arm around the blonde and pulling her closer.

Suddenly, she felt something... very odd, around her neck area, and she asked slowly, "D-did you kiss my neck?"

"....I can't reach your cheek..."

Lapis burst out laughing, and Peridot began trying to silence her by giving playful slaps, and she just knew that this was going to be unique.

______

Despite all of her conflicting feelings, and all of her question, Peridot felt a new confidence within her. She was right- she wasn't like Jasper, in any way. Only similarity is that she loves Lapis like she did, and even then, she loves her in a very unique, special way. Hopefully, she can prove that the universe made the right choice- hey did still have a whole weekend together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all are enjoying this so far, because I am enjoying writing it! Every time I try and put my mind to writing a new story I just get kinda lost, I think right now I can't divide my concentration between writing two stories on here! But I bet somewhere down the line it will happen!


	9. Great Responsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mere hour after the last conversation, Peridot is asleep, but Lapis isn't, dealing with emotions of her own about a myriad of topics.

Lapis Lazuli should be asleep. Peridot was peacefully sleeping on the couch, her face against a pillow in the most adorable way, and the blue-haired girl wished she could join her in slumber.

Something was just keeping her awake, though, and it was hard to pin it down.

So, instead of sleeping peacefully like a rational person, she stood in the bathroom, letting the faucet drip out at a steady slow pace so she could manipulate the droplets of water to her will. Never before has she felt so in control, not just in relation to the water, but in her life in general. It seems things were going her way, but a feeling of impending doom would not leave her.

After all, she was not exactly bearing a good track record when it came to relationships or powers. Although she wished she had the capability to be optimistic, it really wasn't her style. Ask anyone, they'll tell you Lapis has always been a realist- or at least, that's the outlook she's tried to convey. She feels it's easier to expect the worst so that nothing will disappoint you.

But now, seeing that precious nerd sleeping on her couch, cuddled up with her phone completely off and not worrying about anything in the world, made her really want to reevaluate her perspective.

To her, there were a lot of reasons to be worried. For instance, she worried that one way or another, she could hurt Peridot. She's been abrasive before, and although that was with someone far different than Peridot, there's no way of knowing if she might one day accidentally snap at her. That thought hurt her so much she almost felt sick, and that was no exaggeration- although perhaps this was partially because the bathroom was a bit warmer than the rest of the house. More than that, she could accidentally use her powers on her. That was something that filled her with anxiety: the thought of losing focus and accidentally hitting her closest friend with the force of her hydrokinesis. This was another reason she was currently in the bathroom controlling droplets of water, as she wanted to make sure she was still under complete control.

That wasn't the only reason she was up. Her mind was filled with plenty of thoughts that made it hard to clear them away, and one of them was about the fact that... she almost felt jealous of Peridot. She had her own friend group, was always happy even on days when she shouldn't be, and always seemed to have time to care about the problems of others. Sure, she can be awkward and nerdy, but that's just what makes her Peridot, and what makes people like her.

Lapis, on the other hand, felt like she had no traits that would make her friendable. Of course, she realized this was her fault- that's how she saw it, at least. She's always been a pretty introverted child, and after her relationship with Jasper it only got worse. She went from simply not enjoying the spotlight and wanting time alone to wanting to isolate herself to keep from making herself into some pariah.

Quickly, the teen looked at her phone; it shouldn't have surprised her seeing only two contacts, her mom and Peridot, but it kinda did. How has she not made any friends to contact in so long? Although, this might've also been partly because she was terrible at conversations, and she just got lucky having Peridot ask first, but still.

Looking at her phone also showed her that it's been around an hour since her conversation with the cutest girl in her life. Something must be wrong with her if she can still be mopey after a conversation with Peridot- she was the anti-depressants of people. Of course, she knew it was not healthy to use someone as a method of getting happy... which only made her more worried that she could end up twisting their relationship into something toxic, and essentially becoming Jasper 2.0.

It felt to her that her real problem was worrying far too much on things she had no way of knowing about, and it felt strange to her that she was so easily able to dissect these things, but still felt herself mulling over them so much. Maybe the fact that she had a new variable in her life made her feel confused, or she was just growing extra worried now that she needed to care about making sure Peridot was happy. It wasn't as if she was a burden- she never really seemed to be sad about anything.

How was she so easily able to reassure someone she's never known that everything would be okay, but not herself? There was an easy answer to this question, but it wasn't one she was a big fan of telling herself. Now, Lapis needed something to do to take her mind off of... well, everything. Sure, it was healthy to talk about your problems, but she's never heard anyone say it's healthy to stare into the mirror and brew about them.

Slowly, she walked out of the bathroom, but accidentally bumped her knee on the doorframe on the way out, causing her to plummet straight to the ground. Writhing in pain, she wondered how she functioned at all when she was this clueless. Then, she heard something...

"L-Lapis? A-are you okay?" Peridot asked, in a soft and tired tone, clearly concerned but not having enough energy to express it well enough- she tried to pull her off the ground, but lacked the body strength.

With a nod, she reached up to pull herself up- but she was silly enough to forget that the thing she was trying to use for that was Peridot, and this caused Peridot to stumble and fall onto her back.

It was an awkward situation- one second Lapis had been in the bathroom and Peridot had been lying peacefully on the couch. Now, one was on top of the other, completely unintentionally, but now the two of them were lost on what to do... especially since it was somewhat comforting to be this close, and each enjoyed looking into each other's eyes.

However, before they could risk being seen, the taller girl blushed quite a bit and pulled herself up with the doorknob and muttered with embarrassment, "S-sorry, that was my fault, I..."

Before she finished, she realized that the blonde girl did not appear upset, or hurt. In fact... she seemed to be stunned, her eyes shining brighter than ever before, her face the faintest bit red because she hadn't fully processed what happened enough to get embarrassed about it. Lapis almost didn't want to interrupt her, but she knew it would be bad news if her mom saw the two of them on the ground like this.

"H-here, I'll help you up," she told her, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her up- it was difficult to do that when this little nerd wasn't attempting to pull her own weight, but for some reason she didn't particularly care. "A-are you okay?"

In response, Peri just gave the cutest, widest smile and nodded very fast, as if she thought that doing it any slower would simply drag this out too long and hinder their progress to the couch. For a second, Lapis wanted to pull her in and give her a kiss, but she felt like that would be too forward... and for all she knew, she could accidentally break the girl's glasses by accident, which would be the worst possible situation.

Soon, the two of them headed to the couch, with Lapis lying down first since she was bigger, and before she let herself fall asleep, she turned her phone off and asked Peridot with a yawn, "C-can you um... introduce me to your friends?"

"Y-yeah, sure," she replied, not hesitating. "...can I sleep o-on you?"

With a snort, Lapis asked, "Is this the trade-off? You sleep on my lap and I get to make friends with your friends?"

Even late at night, she was still able to make this girl blush like crazy. She just gave a nod before lying down on Lapis's chest- it only just occurred to her that she was essentially sleeping while using her boobs as pillows. Of course, it wasn't like she was going to stop her. ...okay, she was going to sleep before she made herself sound even weirder than before.

Falling asleep on the couch, she decided that this time she would stay there. If she moved, he'd ruin the comfort of her favorite girl, and there's nowhere she'd rather be than here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, this isn't the last chapter, I just figured I might as well use this joke at some point for a title.
> 
> Also, I've thought of the idea of a Peridot Premonition AU for a bit- like, an AU where it turns out everything that happens in the show with Peridot turns out to be a premonition she's having after passing out from exhaustion 4,500 years ago and attempts to use her knowledge to change things for the better, unable to just let things happen the way they did with her knowledge- and was wondering if anyone was interested in me writing it!


	10. Unabashed Cuteness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No use hiding it: Peridot and Lapis are both very cute.

Neither of them set an alarm to wake themselves up, because they had no reason to do that on a Saturday, but Peridot still woke up at a pretty early time- around eight A.M. She didn't know why her body was trained to wake up so early, but it wasn't necessarily a problem. Waking up early has its benefits, especially if you're an enthusiast for using technology- for her, that meant she just enjoyed writing fanfiction and watching YouTube videos. However, she felt there was one other brand new benefit to waking up earlier- getting to look at Lapis Lazuli while she was sleeping. Of course, it was a lucky guess to assume that she didn't usually wake up early on her own, but she was glad she managed to guess it correctly.

When she woke up, she slowly rose up from her position sleeping on Lapis's chest, and blushed a little upon realizing where she had been sleeping- hopefully the other girl hadn't minded, although surely she would've said something if she did. Once Peridot was awake, she sat back against the couch and looked down at the sleeping teen, in awe of how beautiful, or cute, or hot she was. Any of those descriptors worked, although admittedly it wasn't typically seem as normal to refer to someone as being hot while they are sleeping. Still, there was something about how Lapis looked when she slept that the blonde found very relaxing, enough so that she nearly fell asleep just looking at her. She wondered exactly how she managed to fall asleep so peacefully when sleeping with her right on top, although part of her thought maybe that was exactly the reason she was able to get to sleep so fast. If she kept thinking about that, though, she would blush a bit too much.

Something took her mind off of Lapis's sleeping position, though, and that was her mother Tourmaline. She got up just in time to see the two girls on the couch, and she clearly had trouble containing her giddiness.

"Oh, good morning Peridot! I was going to make you two some breakfast- you don't need to wake up Lapis yet, but she'll certainly not want to miss out so nudge her when it's done!" she explained with a smile, already getting out the supplies needed for this meal, so the girl couldn't refuse at this point- not that she would try.

With a nod, she slowly began to lie down without closing her eyes, now lying parallel to Lapis. It gave her a good angle to look at her to guarantee that she would know exactly when she'd awaken; never before had Peridot found it important to figure out exactly when someone was going to wake up, but she was experiencing a lot of firsts. Just yesterday, in fact, she experienced the first day that she ever remembered being taken out of school in the first period. To be fair, the reason she was taken out of school was completely justifiable, and she knew that if she told kids at school "I got taken out of school because I found my soulmate and gained my powers" they'd find it both understandable and adorable. Now she was conflicted on whether to actually do it or not; it seemed to her that Pearl had only really informed the people in their friend-group of her current status, and that was not a large group of people, so the choice was hers whether the public would know.

Actually, it was more her and Lapis's choice. It wouldn't be right to just have all the control over who knew whether they were soulmates, because if they were to eventually become girlfriends, she needed to demonstrate a capacity for being trusted. Thinking about eventually becoming Lapis's girlfriend overjoyed her, and she knew that if she ever said yes to that she might end up fainting again. And unfortunately, the school doesn't tend to let you go home when you faint for that reason.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Lapis awakening, and quickly she sat up and turned to get a good look at her. It turned out, the blue-haired girl had the same idea, and now they were both looking each other in the eyes. Each of them got a bit flustered and looked away, although neither really regretted doing it.

Before either of them could say anything, Tourmaline asked, "You two ready for some bacon and eggs?"

"Oh, um, yes ma'am!" replied the tiny nerd, making both Lapis and her mother snicker a bit.

Peridot's new soulmate casually whispered to her, "You don't need to call her ma'am, dork."

This quickly made her blush a bit more than before, especially being referred to as a dork- it wasn't something she could really argue with, but she certainly wasn't going to admit to it either. To try and get her blush to go away, she got up and began heading to the kitchen to grab a plate, with the other teen close behind.

"You two sure slept peacefully- and adorably, if I'm allowed to say that," her mother chuckled as she gave them both their plates.

The two teens blushed immensely, and the daughter of this woman remarked, "No, you're not... only I'm allowed to call Peridot adorable."

Peridot had been lulled into a false sense of security with the beginning of that remark, only to be swiftly attacked with a compliment and a tease wrapped in one that made her face feel very warm. That wasn't to say she didn't like being called cute- she just wasn't exactly used to being complimented, especially by someone so unbelievably pretty.

With permission, the two sat at the couch and began to eat their food, and both were impressed by the woman's cooking skills, even if this was something that one of them should've already been familiar with. It began to take attention away from their immense feelings of incredible romance they felt toward one another, if just briefly. When you gain superpowers because of how powerful your feelings are for someone, forgetting about those feelings for just a moment can be difficult.

Soon, the food was devoured to completion, and the small blonde complimented, "Wow, thanks for the breakfast, it was amazing!"

"Ah, no problem! Just put the plate in the sink, you don't need to rinse it off- that'll be Lapis's job when the time comes to clean the dishes," Tourmaline joked as she headed back to her room.

Despite her words, Peridot discreetly rinsed her plate and utensil off before putting it in the drying rack, and Lapis casually joked, "Wow, thanks for taking away my work~"

"Heh, you always are quite proficient in finding new methods of teasing me, aren't you?" the girl commented, finding it slightly easier to handle teasing if she could verbalize her feelings out loud.

The taller girl just gave a nod with an unashamed smile before grabbing a coke from the fridge and sitting back down.

A bit confused, Peridot asked, "Does your mom let you drink soda this early?"

"Well, with how much money she makes, it's not like pop is really our main concern... and yeah, you can take a pop from the fridge."

Grinning from ear to ear, she proceeded to yank a soda out of the fridge without any hesitation, and she rushed to the couch and plopped herself... well, on Lapis's lap. She felt like dying of embarrassment upon realizing, and luckily only the two girls had realized.

Taking the opportunity to tease her, Lapis snickered, "If you wanna sit on my lap, you can."

"...is that sincere?" the blonde asked, in a genuine tone, sparking immense blushes from the other girl.

Stuttering a bit, the tall girl responded, "U-uh, yeah of course! J-just uh, don't spill soda on my pants or anything. My mom may not worry about money but she hates when I ruin clean clothes."

Finally having a chance at making her flustered, Peridot took it and sat back on her lap, opening her soda and quickly sipping the fizz away. Her attention was taken away from this opportunity, though, when she began to slowly savor the delicious flavor of her soda.

A bit puzzled, Lapis asked her, "Do you always drink soda like that? It's sugar and water, not a fine wine."

"I rarely get the opportunity to drink anything like this, so it essentially is a fine wine to me," she replied without a hint of irony as she continued to sip.

That sparked the question, "Does your mom not buy you soda?"

"Man, she rarely buys me anything with sugar in it! She always says something about how I need to eat healthy in order to grow up to be nice and strong, as if she expects the person in front of you to become a star athlete. It wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't strict in every other way."

______

This was certainly not the direction she expected their conversation to go, especially since one of them still sat upon the other's lap- at this point, it would be better to just keep teasing her about that and hope she forgot. However, something did come to Lapis's mind, and she figured now was as good of a time to ask as any.

With a curious expression, she asked Peridot, "When do you think we should become girlfriends?"

"Oh, well... whenever we're both ready I suppose! Honestly I'm up for it whenever you are," she admitted, blushing once again before continuing to take interrupted sips of soda.

Then, Lapis sheepishly and slowly admitted, "I... think that I'm cool with becoming girlfriends... right now."

The girl suddenly began choking on soda, and took a couple seconds to swallow down what she had began to sip. Despite how slow she drank, nothing could keep her prepared for that.

"D-do you mean it?" she asked, turning toward Lapis with wonder in her eyes and her cheeks a bright red color.

Deciding to be a bit cheesy for once, the blue-haired teen explained, "W-well, sometimes I'm not sure, but whenever I look at you, like I am right now, it only makes me more sure that this is what I wanna do. Peridot, we can take things slow, and we don't need to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable- in fact, I'll do whatever it takes to make you feel comfortable around me- but if you're up for it, I'd be happy to take our relationship to a slightly higher level."

There was a brief moment of silence, and if it wasn't for the fact that Peridot was welling up a bit and smiling, the tall teen would have difficulty knowing if she was taking the news well.

"Y-yes, Lapis, I'd be happy to do that," she told her, speaking fast so she could then guzzle down the rest of her soda and give the girl in front of her a surprisingly tight hug.

It was so surprising, and so pleasant, that Lapis didn't even mind the fact that Peridot was hugging her right in front of her mom. She then realized that back when she was dating Jasper, Tourmaline never got the chance to see them together. It brought a bigger smile to her face knowing that her mom would see this girl plenty more.

Then, she gave Peridot a question of her own: "Do you think we should, um, go public with our relationship? It's all up to you, of course, but-"

"Heh, are you kidding? I was excited for you to say yes just so I could have an opportunity to spread the news! Nyeheh, I don't know what I'm more excited for, people to give me 'high fives' when they find out or for people to be filled with jealousy- wait, do we get to hold hands?"

With a giggle, she offered Peridot a hand and asked, "Does this answer your question?"

"Heh, well I suppose it technically does," she remarked before holding Lapis's, making Lapis realize the size difference.

Peridot was certainly quite different than any other girl that Lapis had known- she was giddy, she was nerdy, she was several heads shorter than her- but most importantly, she put Lapis's feelings above her own. Really, Lapis felt confidence in the idea of being her girlfriend right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my opportunity to just write a chapter where they act as cute and blushy as possible, because who wouldn't when you have a mutual crush on someone who you gained superpowers for the day after you met them? 
> 
> I'd also love to get this story to move along all the way toward the end of their high school years, as it would be interesting to see just how their relationship progresses.


	11. Confused Emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot is happy about a lot of things most of the time, but she has some feelings she can't push back.

Peridot loved Lapis with every fiber of her being. If she tried to deny it, she'd only make it seem more obvious. Everytime she looked at her, she felt so lucky to have the luck of meeting her, getting to know her, and especially becoming her soulmate. This is why she felt guilty because of some of the things she thought about her. 

One major thing was that she sort of felt jealous of her.

It wasn't something she realized until she saw the way she and her mom interacted- she got breakfast made for her in the morning, she got hugs and kisses, she got to be gently teased... everything Peridot knew was typical for a mom to do. Although if this was true, it would mean her own mom wasn't meeting those standards, and by her own words, her mom was perfect.

She knew her mom was not entirely at fault for not being able to provide for her the attention that Lapis got from hers- she had an important job, and plenty of her own issues she had to control. Her mother still paid the bills and kept her from living on the street, and paid for her phone plan and everything.

However, something never felt right about it to her. Maybe she just felt like her mom only did these things because she knew she was responsible, and not because she truly cared. It was a horrible thought to have, and it made her wish she could just forget about it. Peridot should just wrap her arms around Lapis, squeeze her tight and get rid of all the negative thought she had swarming around in her head.

Upon thinking about that, she took her phone out and stared at it, and clicked to the exchange between her mother and her. 

me: mom i don't know how to say this but i think this girl is my soulmate and i'm wondering if it's okay if i stay over at her place for the weekend. 

mom: :) okay you can stay at her place. but be careful okay? <3

Looking at this message, she wanted to say that it was proof enough her mom did care about her, but now she felt many invasive ideas festering inside her; they told her it must've been only because she knew she should say it and not because she meant it, or she felt that it would be more convenient if Peridot was out of the way for a few days so she wouldn't have to deal with her issues. Thinking about all that, she had no idea how she was going to be able to tell her mother about having a girlfriend. She didn't know if she would be happy, mad, annoyed, or just indifferent. All in all, she just wanted her mom to care at all.

Reading the message deeply enough, she realized that without the little symbols, it wouldn't read so kindly. "Okay, you can stay at her place. But be careful okay?" She didn't give any congratulations or say "I'm so happy for you," as if she didn't believe what she said or had no real interest. The 'okay' especially made it seem as if she was simply complying so she wouldn't have to say anything more about it.

Her fingers were shaking, wanting to find the right words to say what she felt, but nothing felt right. And all in all, part of her felt hopeless. Would anything she said actually get through to her mom and make her care? How did she know she did or didn't care? Her mother was a brick wall, never letting her emotions show. If she hated her, she would never know it. 

Suddenly, she heard something that broke her out of her trance.

"Peridot... are you okay?"

It was only then she realized she had been crying- a lot, actually. Tears streamed down her face, and it was beginning to make it hard to see. Quickly, she removed her glasses and wiped her face, then put them back on.

With a weak smile, she assured her, "I-I'm fine... I didn't mean to alarm you, but everything's okay with me now."

"I could see you crying, Peridot. You can tell me whatever is going on, you know that right?" Lapis asked her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

The blonde wanted to deny it, but felt herself about to tear up again, so it would just make it more obvious that she was hiding the truth; so, she muttered, "I-I'm not doing well right now, but... I don't know what to really do about it."

"Well, you can start by talking about it." 

Over the next few minutes, she began to explain how she felt about her mom, and it felt good to get it off of her chest. Lapis's mother wasn't in the room to hear it, so that made it a bit easier to say it without tearing up once more. When she was finished, unfortunately, she still ended up shedding some tears. It was pretty expected when talking about such a sensitive subject, though, and Lapis was not one to judge.

When she finished talking, Peridot asked her, "What do you think I should do?"

"Hmm... I think it would be best to tell your mom how you feel. It's best to be honest, you know?"

With a sigh, she admitted, "I know that's probably true, but I'm just scared she'll be upset. It'll sound like to her I'm accusing her of not loving me, and if she does- I mean, that's not how I- ugh, I'm so bad at this..."

"Come on, you're usually so confident with what you say, I know you can do it! It's not like you need to tell her over the phone, there's no pressure to type the right things as fast as possible. Just wait until you feel ready okay? In the meantime, I'll be right here."

With a chuckle, Peridot remarked, "You certainly seem like you know what you're talking about- how are you so smart?"

"Heh, smart? You think too highly of me, you're the smart one here- you were just overthinking things a little bit," she remarked, ruffling Peri's hair a bit playfully, making her laugh in the way that always made her happy.

Soon, she was simply relaxing, leaning against her new girlfriend's shoulder, as her girlfriend's mom was about to prepare some lunch. It felt like she was ready to do what she had been so worried about, so she finally sent her mom another text.

me: hey mom, i got a new girlfriend, i want to know how you feel. i know you have a lot of stuff on your plate but i just wanna know you care. take your time to respond if you don't know what to say. i love you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figured I needed to go into depth into Peridot's feelings here, hopefully it seems believable~ and at this point, it's clear who Peri's mom is in this AU.


	12. Deer in Headlights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The weekend is ending, but their isn't much worry between the two girlfriends, as they know they'll see each other plenty and all will be well... but suddenly something alarming begins to appear before them.

Peridot almost felt silly for how worried she had gotten about what her mother would say- although she reminded herself that her emotions were valid, no matter how strong they were. Still, when she got the text back from her mom assuring her whole-heartedly that she loved her and would support her decision, it really brought the waterworks. This time it was the happy kind, although either way, Lapis was right there to help her. Soon, she had wiped all those tears and was smiling just the same as usual.   
  
With very little time left in the weekend, they realized they needed to spend it wisely, and have as much fun as humanly possible. This is why the tall blue-haired girl gave the blonde nerd the idea of going to get something to eat. Of course, they couldn't eat by themselves, as they were far too young, but Lapis's mother promised to pay for the food and leave them alone if they needed some private time. So, by all intents and purposes, it was a date. She agreed to the idea, running it by her mom real quick and getting approval, and soon they were off to the local diner. It was nothing too unbelievably fancy or pricey, but it was definitely fine eating.  
  
When the short girl stepped into the restaurant, her head began to feel a bit... odd. See, she had a weird thing about crowded places, especially those unfamiliar to her. That thing was she was very against them, and it made her feel as if she was in a high-stress situation. It annoyed her that she was unable to get over this issue after so many years- she was lucky that at school she had someone she got to sit next to at lunch who she was comfortable around, and that she was somewhat accustomed to the sight of other kids eating together. Here, though, it was around sixty people all in one diner, ranging from 17 to 49, and either being eerily quiet or painstakingly loud. She would've had a panic attack, if it wasn't for someone standing nearby.  
  
"It's okay Dot, I'm right here," Lapis assured her, giving her a comforting rub on the shoulder as she sat down next to her- her mother had already went in line to order, deciding to get Peridot something she assumed she'd enjoy. "You don't need to talk, you can just breathe and relax."  
  
She nodded a bit, beginning to focus less on the noise around her and more on the beauty next to her, looking directly at her. A smile crept on her face and she couldn't stop it, and soon she was giving this girl a big hug.   
  
With a giggle, she remarked, "T-this isn't what I would've expected for my first ever date, but it's nice. Sorry that I got a bit weird there."  
  
"Oh, it's fine, I understand. It's not really all that weird to me, honestly. It did give us a good chance to be gay, so maybe it was worth it."  
  
The two of them were soon blushing, and Peridot had no idea what to say- but out of the corner of her eye, something stole her breath, and she felt herself begin to grow pale.  
  
With a gasp, Lapis asked her, "W-what's wrong? Did I say something-"  
  
"Shh!" she hissed in a low voice, covering the teen's mouth, which was unexpected for her.  
  
Slowly, she began to gesture right over Lapis's shoulder in the far end of the room, trying to signal not to turn her head all the way around and to be discreet. Luckily, she got the message, and soon she turned to lay witness to a sight she never thought she'd see again.  
  
They were hard to recognize at first- they had an uncomfortable-looking button-up, some jeans, long socks and properly tied shoes, a contrast to their standard look from when she still hung out with her. However, with her long white hair and the bandage remaining on her nose, it was obvious who this was.   
  
Jasper, Peridot's former bodyguard, and Lapis's ex.  
  
Now, she understood why she reacted like that- even from afar, she was a bit intimidating, and seeing someone like her dressed all nicely for a restaurant was like seeing an axe murderer dressed as the tooth fairy. As in, it was like she was trying to disguise herself.  
  
Whispering to Peridot, she asked, "W-why do you think she's here?"  
  
"M-maybe... just to eat?"   
  
With a quiet chuckle, Lapis admitted, "Maybe that's kinda obvious... but do you think she sees us over here?"  
  
"If she did, I fear that she would've already- oh my stars..."  
  
She stopped and nearly fainted when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jasper look directly at them. Not just make a passing glance as she was turning to look at something or someone else, but turn her head, stop, and then focus in on them like a hawk. The two girls sitting next to each other felt like they were being targeted, and things went slow as Jasper stood up and began walking toward her.  
  
However, help came swiftly when Lapis's mother saw Jasper and decided to talk to her, interrupting her walk. Learning that the blonde girl was eating with her family, it must've made her feel less eager to approach with such bravery. However, the two were paranoid about what the two were saying to each other, but at least they could stop holding their breaths upon seeing Jasper walk back to her table and their mother come to them with their food.  
  
Almost immediately, Lapis Lazuli asked, "What did she say?"  
  
"Oh, Jasper you mean? I think she just wanted to say to both of you that she was sorry for how she treated y'all- that was my word, not hers, but still- and that she hopes you two are happy together. Almost forgot, she mentioned she hopes to talk to you more at school on Monday! She was apparently in jail for a couple days and it went all the way into the first two days of school, isn't that tragic?"  
  
After a brief pause, Peridot muttered as she was once again pale, "Y-yes... tragic..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figured we should switch things up, so I hope you all enjoy this sharp twist!


	13. School Is Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> School is back again, let's see what new troubles await and what exciting challenges lay before them.

The weekend was pretty much over, with Peridot having been picked up by her mom and taken back home. It was the first time in a while she's driven her around personally, and it felt kinda nice, especially since they got to talk a bit before her mom had to rush to get back to work. Of course, there wasn't really any other option, but it was still pretty cool. Her mom had even gotten her something to eat, and scarfing the food down was enough to make her forget a bit about how intense things had gotten the other day.

She nearly went face-to-face with Jasper until Lapis's mom conveniently stopped her, although she highly doubted her mom talked to her specifically because she was trying to stop her from confronting her and Lapis. It struck her as odd that Tourmaline showed such sympathy toward Jasper over her being in jail, although she was sure it was just a case of her worrying about what could've happened to her when she was there. Knowing she was going back to school at the same time they were was a cause for some degree of worry, but she reminded herself that it's been quite some time since she last saw her. For all she knew, she could be a completely different person. And she may have only been in jail for less than a week, but that can change someone's perspective a bit. Whatever happened, she was hopeful it wouldn't be too overwhelming.

Soon it was the next morning, and without even giving it a second thought, she got herself ready for school before giving Lapis a quick cute text.

me: Hey Lapis, how's it going? <3

Lapis: your a dork you know :P its goin fine, tho im woried bout Jasp

me: Your grammar is atrocious, but I see your point. Jasper is a bit of a worrying subject for me too, but I have hopes that she'll be different.

Lapis: diffrent how?

me: I don't know, it has been a while since I've last spoken to her though.

Lapis: same. lets relax tho, itll all be fine. love ya <3

me: You're making me blush through text, how do you do this?

Lapis: im just that cute

She had to stop messaging at that point, as she was already getting flustered. It was amazing Lapis could make her feel like that so effortlessly- although she had no way of knowing how hard Lapis might've been working to make her blush. Soon, the bus came, and she rushed to get on and sit down.

"Maybe you can explain why you were gone the rest of the day last Friday," Pearl remarked with a smile.

Blushing a bit, she replied, "Oh, I kinda... fainted, in first period. Also, me and Lapis are girlfriends now, so-"

"You know you already told me over text right?"

Pausing, Peridot asked, "D-did I really?"

"Heh, yeah, although you sent it pretty late at night so maybe you were so sleep-deprived you managed to forget. Do you remember what else you said~?"

Shaking her head, the blonde nerd admitted, "I'm guessing something embarrassing?"

"Well, depends, does it sound embarrassing to say 'tell everyone you know that Peridot Facette has a girlfriend'? I went through with it, by the way, so you're welcome."

Her face was now even redder, and she proceeded to ask, "H-how many people know?"

"Oh, I told Amethyst for starters, who told everyone she knew, and I think it sorta spread from there."

That made Peridot realize why Jasper had been approaching- she didn't just come to the conclusion that they were girlfriends from seeing them together, Amethyst must of told her without knowing that the two girls had a history. Understandable, since she never really mentioned the buff girl to her, and she doubted that Jasper really talked about her much outside of school. It wasn't like she was mad at Amethyst, though- she probably would've found out one way or another.

Now smiling a little, the short girl admitted, "It is nice to know I don't have to worry about telling anyone, honestly- even though I was probably dead tired, I don't regret sending that message!"

"Well, good, I was worried that I made a mistake or something," Pearl laughed.

Then, the girl in the glasses smirked and asked, "How many people know about you and Amethyst?"

"H-hey now, we aren't official yet- sure, we are probably soulmates since she got the power to use her hair as a weapon, but it doesn't mean we have to rush into things!"

Snickering, Peridot teased, "I'm guessing you haven't discussed this with her yet~"

"...I'm not humoring that with a response," Pearl muttered, now blushing about as much as her friend, making this teasing a success.

Soon, she got to her first class, quickly sitting down in her usual spot next to Lapis, who was clearly happy to see her. Before they got a chance to really speak, Ms. Opal began to speak up.

With a smile, she stood and explained, "We have some new students today- well, you're all new, but these students are new in that they haven't been here yet, either due to personal issues or... well, you can ask them yourself. First, we have Jasper Brooks! Please stand up, sweetie~"

The two girls, and the rest of the class, turned to see Jasper stand up in the back of the class. It seemed that the large girl deliberately was trying not to make eye contact with anyone.

"Y-yeah, I'm Jasper. If you wanna know, I was in jail for getting into a fight, and it probably would've been longer if I was eighteen. But I'm gonna make sure that doesn't happen again as long as I'm here!"

Giving small claps, the teacher remarked, "That's very good! Now, we have five other students, who seem to be pretty... close. Wanna introduce yourselves?"

Five students proceeded to stand up, all of them sitting pretty close by- they were all short, with pretty similar attire (big red poofy hair, mostly red clothing), with the difference being in the details, like how one of them was wearing suspenders and glasses, and another had a midriff-bearing tee.

"I'm Doc Vermilion, I'm gonna do the best I can!" exclaimed the one adorned in suspenders, proudly too.

Then, the midriff-bearing girl dramatically stated, "I'm Navy Scarlet, I can't wait to make new friends!~"

"U-um, hi, I'm Lily Cerise, I hope to learn a lot here," added a rather lost-looking girl in the group, wearing a simple shorts-and-shirt combo.

Much more confidently, a fourth girl with her most noticable features being her muscles and unibrow declared, "I'm Army Carmine, make sure not to get in my way!"

"And I'm Ebony Claret," the final girl of the five-woman-band finished, with her two defining features being her lighter skin and the eyepatch covering her left eye, "And yes, I lost my eye, don't ask. Together, we're the Ruby... Squad..."

She trailed off when she looked around the room and spotted Jasper looking at her, and her face became a bit redder, which was humorously fitting.

After a brief moment of silence, Opal praised, "You five certainly have flair! You may sit down, now~"

Lapis and Peridot exchanged humorous looks, as they both had a feeling that maybe Jasper would be a bit too preoccupied to deal with them for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this chapter lives up to the hype, I enjoyed introducing the Ruby Squad, and teasing a bit of Eyeball X Jasper. because hey, everyone deserves someone to love, y'know?


	14. Constant Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems that things are changing quite a bit around Lapis and Peridot, so hopefully they are able to keep track.

Just hearing the five interesting girls introduced, Peridot wanted to learn more about them right away. She was naturally curious, after all, and at this point she had nothing to lose by learning more about them. So, after informing Lapis of her plan, she decided to ask the girls some questions about themselves and what their deal was. She definitely learned far more than she originally intended.   
  
Firstly, as they mentioned, they went by the Ruby Squad. It must be because of their humorously similar last names, which all related to the color red, and the fact that that color was one they all favored. Plus, they all lived close by and were around the same age, so they decided to start wearing matching outfits and essentially become a tiny gang. It was as cute as it was odd, but they weren't harming anyone, from what she heard.   
  
Secondly, the reason she didn't remember seeing any of them last year was simple: they didn't go to the normal classes. To put things simply, they were lacking in the intelligence to really attend the regular classes, which wasn't anything she was going to blame them for. It doesn't necessarily mean that the five of them are bad students, as she could tell they had a lot of passion. From what she could gather, though, they did struggle a bit with the current curriculum.   
  
Another thing she found interesting about them was the fact that the whole motive of the group was essentially to both keep them all protected from bullies and to try and find themselves girlfriends. They would act as wingwomen for each other, scouting out for girls they might each like and giving advice for how to pick up whoever they were crushing on. It was very cute, but the blonde kinda thought maybe they spent a bit too much time thinking about this whole girlfriend-getting plan and not enough trying to understand their schoolwork. However, that comment earned her a threatening glare from Ebony, who even with one eye was able to make it count. Speaking of which, she had considered asking about the eye, but she figured that it would be impolite to ask after she gave pretty clear instructions to not do that.  
  
Eventually, she came back to Lapis to relay the information to her, who she felt wasn't nearly as interested in hearing about this as she should've been.  
  
"I mean, it's pretty cute, but it's not something I'd really put much thought on."  
  
With a snicker, Peridot remarked, "C'mon Lapis, when was the last time you heard of five girls forming a gang to pick up chicks? It's like some kinda weird college movie!"  
  
"Honestly, if I had the opportunity to form a group like that, I'd take it... of course, it's kinda too late now, but you know what I mean."  
  
Blushing a little bit, the short nerd asked, "So, if you  _had_ formed a group like that, do you think you still would've picked me?"  
  
"Of course, Peri! Whether or not I have some gang of gals to help me find ladies, I still have the same type," she assured her.  
  
This made Peridot giggle and she asked, "Are you telling me  _your_ type is 'short nerdy girls obsessed with cartoons'?"  
  
"Hey, you say that like it's somehow unbelievable. By the way, when are we gonna get taught somethin' in here? Not that I'm complaining, but-"  
  
Piping up, Ms. Opal commented with a smile, "If you wanna talk about me, you should do it a tad quieter~ heheh, but for real, we technically don't have to start teaching until the middle of the week, so for a couple of days you j  
  
"...thanks," Lapis Lazuli replied awkwardly, not expecting the teacher to be so honest about her teaching plans.  
  
The class felt like it went by far too fast, but maybe it was because they had been so used to spending entire days together. Still, they parted gracefully, not clinging to each other- although the taller girl did blow a kiss to her soulmate/girlfriend as a way of teasing her, which was especially funny since it was in view of the teacher (who, already knowing that they were soulmates, was only more excited to see that they were an item).   
  
____  
  
Next period, the blue-haired teen sat down in her seat, a mix of relieved and disappointed she didn't work up the courage to say hi to Jasper and try and let the past remain in the past. Certainly she wasn't required to get along with her, but if they were going to co-exist, it seemed like it could help to acknowledge what happened and then see if they could work as friends. She knew there were plenty of people out there who had hard break-ups and still eventually became friends with their exes, but she wasn't sure if all of them had been in middle school when it happened. At the very least, it was nice that Jasper potentially has someone new falling for her- she wished she found the time to ask Ebony about what made her into her, but unlike her GF, she wasn't really all that snoopy.  
  
Instantly, she was reminded of the Ruby Squad when she saw one of the members enter the class completely solo- Lily, as she recalled. Clearly, she was not exactly prepared for being by herself without her teammates, as she just looked so lost, Lapis almost felt like she needed to give her directions. Luckily, there were plenty of empty seats, so after a couple seconds, she picked a random spot and sat down before getting out her stuff.  
  
Leaning over to her, she whispered while politely trying not to act amused, "You're getting out the wrong book- we're in English."  
  
"O-oh, I'm so sorry," Lily muttered, acting as if she somehow upset Lapis, which somehow made her feel bad for correcting her.  
  
Soon, Ms. Sardonyx spoke up and greeted, "Welcome, class, to the wonders of English Literature- or Eng. Lit, as I've often called it! Ah, just kidding, I never all it that~ anyway, there are some new faces, so how about some introductions? First, we have Paddy... how do you pronounce that last name?"  
  
One of the girls in the class, with a long orange dress and bangs covering up her eyes, at first did not respond, but soon gasped- like she suddenly realized what was said- and jumped to her feet.  
  
"It's Paddy O'Radscha! Apologies, miss, I can be a bit... spacey."  
  
With a chuckle, she assured her, "That's quite alright, we have forty minutes here, a couple seconds isn't that bad- anyway, next we have Elise and Reese Rutile!"  
  
Soon, two girls not too far from Paddy stood up, arms locked, and wearing pretty similar outfits- and haircuts for that matter.  
  
"Greetings, I'm Reese, this is my sister Elise!"  
  
The other on the left continued, "I'm Elise, and this is Reese- if you can't tell, we're twins."  
  
"Yes, we're identical twins! Hopefully it won't make things too confusing!"  
  
In response, Ms. Sardonyx responded, "Oh, I'm sure I can learn to tell you apart- the key to being a good English student is having a good eye for details, after all! Alright, finally, we have Lily Cerise! I heard you're part of a cute group, is that right?"  
  
The girl being referred to didn't respond at first, and not because she didn't understand the question- she was just too focused looking at the girl dressed in orange, a blush spread across her face.  
  
"Are you alright, Lily?" the teacher asked, noticing what she was doing but not wanting to draw attention to it.  
  
Realizing what happened, Lily's blush got a bit deeper as she stood up and responded, "S-sorry, I-I was just um, thinking about something! And yes, t-that's true."  
  
As the girl nervously sat back down, Lazuli had a thought about how she was probably going to want to ask some questions about these new students. Hopefully, she would be as good of a detective as her girlfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm making this chapter a tad less angsty, although never fear, I'm sure more will appear later! Tell me anything I can improve, by the way! Sorry for interrupting my usual daily upload schedule, I kinda didn't have the same creative juices flowing yesterday! I'm debating if Rhodonite should be a student, or just a young teacher.


	15. Curious Lapis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis begins to ask around about the new students in her class, and then learns new information without even asking.

Lapis Lazuli wasn't ordinarily one to ask about people's personal lives, or even to make an attempt to come up to someone and say "hey, what's up with you?" She was inspired by the way Peridot effortlessly talked to the Ruby Squad last period, though, despite how she had no obligation to do so. The little nerd was just naturally sociable it seems, even if she seems to act as if she's a loner. She's taken a glance at her contacts, and she has quite a number of friends. It's not like Lapis is jealous or anything... well, maybe a little, but she can't blame her girlfriend for that. It would like getting mad at someone for winning the lottery- although perhaps comparing the making of friends to something with odds lower than being struck by lightning is evidence of how disillusioned she's become with the idea of socializing. Still, it seemed that Ms. Sardonyx had nothing really prepared today besides having kids talk amongst themselves about what kind of literature they enjoy, and it was a perfect opportunity to both learn about these new students and practice her talking skills.  
  
She went with the easiest choice first: Paddy. It was obvious before, but talking to her personally, she knew now for sure that she was Irish. It was pretty interesting, as she only really knew Irish people from cartoons- it was embarrassing to admit, but she never met someone with the actual heritage before. That wasn't all there was to learn about her, though: she also discovered that Paddy was in some sort of special needs class because of her issues with either paying attention or simply processing information as fast. From what she could gather, she was only in it for one period, not counting days she might feel the need to take a breather. Talking to her face-to-face made it clear that she wasn't just spacey as she put it, and that she really couldn't help the time it took her to respond. Luckily, Lapis managed to get her to stop apologizing for it after the second time she did it. All in all, Paddy was a pretty sweet girl, and she was glad she got the chance to meet her. She reminded her of a girl she heard of named Sapphire, but she figured it was probably a coincidence.  
  
Then, there was the Rutile Twins- literally twin sisters who almost looked like they were conjoined to the hip. They were lucky enough to have all their classes together, although she kind of figured it was less luck and more them planning out their classes based on if they'd be able to spend time together. Maybe Lapis was a little jealous she never had a relationship this close with someone, and that she was an only child, but again, she's not mad at them for being so darn happy. Maybe in middle school she would've been, but she was far more moody back then she was now. Meeting someone as sweet as Peridot certainly helped. Anyway, she soon also learned that the Rutiles and Paddy were pretty close friends- they've known each other since they were young, with the girls frequently coming over to Paddy's place to spend time with her and her grandma, along with one other girl: Rhodonite.  
  
Now, Rhodonite wasn't actually a student- she's been graduated for a year. However, she was currently working as an assistant teacher, which basically just meant she would fill in for teachers if they were sick or busy, and help around if anyone needed assistance. Essentially, it was just an internship, although it had a bit of a less important name. How they described the girl, it seemed clear that Rhodonite had a bit of anxiety, which was pretty understandable. School was hard enough just learning it, but when you have to work there and not even get the same credit as a full-time teacher, it must be rough. It was pretty sweet to see them have such a nice group of friends, though, even if it was quite an odd one: an Irish girl in an orange dress, two twin sisters in matching outfits, a pretty chill grandma, and an anxious but nice assistant teacher (who apparently could rock a casual afro). Lazuli definitely felt she could benefit from having a group of supportive friends like that, and she probably could get it too, if she just reminded Peridot to introduce her.   
  
Last but certainly not least, there was Lily, a pretty shy and somewhat clueless girl. She didn't get a chance to talk to her last period, and Peridot certainly didn't hone in on her, so this was a good chance at learning more. From what she learned, she wasn't just forgetful: she had something called Executive Dysfunction, which not only affected her ability to remember things, but her ability to plan, organize, strategize, and other things that are seen as pretty major for knowing how to do in school. She fit right into the Ruby Squad, although she didn't think any of the others had something of this severity. Luckily, Lily didn't seem too bothered by it; sure, she wished she could remember things better, but she had plenty of support from her friends, and this was what she was used to anyways. Lapis certainly couldn't imagine being able to live with something like that and take it in stride, but she's never been great at placing herself in other people's shoes. What really interested her, though, was how Lily seemed to look at Paddy. She wasn't one to really ask about that stuff ordinarily, but her curiosity got the best of her and she went out and asked if she was interested in her in any way.  
  
"O-oh, um, you mean Paddy? Y-yeah, I think she's, um... really cute," Lily whispered, blushing quite deeply.  
  
Trying not to tease her to the point of ending this conversation, Lapis asked her gently, "Have you thought about talking to her?"  
  
"N-no way! I can barely talk in front of the class without nearly fainting, how can I talk to someone I like?? Plus, the chance of us having another class together is almost nonexistant."  
  
Curious, she questioned, "What classes do you have next?"  
  
"Oh, let me see, I have to keep this with me at all times..." Lily muttered, taking her schedule out from her backpack and unfolding it, showing it to Lapis.  
  
After a moment of analyzing, she softly gasped and pointed to her sixth period class before explaining, "You have resource room this period, that's when Paddy has hers!"  
  
"W-wait, really?! Oh man, I don't know what I'm gonna do- if I say the wrong thing to her, she might hate me or think I'm the worst!"  
  
To try and reassure her, Lapis told her, "You shouldn't worry about that- she's pretty sweet, I don't think she's going to hate you that fast. ...and this is isn't relevant, but hating you and thinking you're the worst aren't really separate. S-still, don't stress about it, okay?"  
  
"O-okay, you're right. Thanks, um... what's your name?"  
  
Quickly, she answered, "Lapis, Lapis Lazuli."  
  
"Ah, okay, thanks Lapis! I'll make sure to let you know if it goes well, next time I see you!"  
  
She felt good about herself, managing to encourage a girl into introducing herself to someone she likes. Of course, she had no way of knowing how it would turn out, but she didn't have any worries about Paddy just hating her out of the blue. Who knows, maybe it'll work out.   
  


_____

Next period, she entered with a renewed sense of accomplishment, which was rare for her these days. She had started to settle with the peak of her life being getting a girlfriend and a soulmate, which was a high peak to be sure. It wasn't really looking likely to her that she'd accomplish much else, but hey, she would take what she could get. Suddenly, she saw the cutest girl in her life run into the lunchroom and slam herself onto her seat in a way that did not look comfortable, and she just knew she had something funny or important to say.

"L-Lapis, listen! Last period I talked to Jasper and-"

Immediately she asked her with concern, "Did she hurt you or yell at you?"

"N-no, she didn't- the teacher would've heard- but more importantly... I think she was actually kinda nice."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting in nearly a week, writer's block struck.


	16. Peridot's Recollection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot explains what had gone down between her and Jasper in second period.

She had been engrossed in a book when Mr. Rainbow suddenly interrupted her, which was frankly rude, since she had barely gotten past the prologue. Still, she had never gotten in trouble with a teacher before, and she wasn't going to do it over simply wanting to read a book. Plus, she was a pretty big math fan, due to it being so easy to understand to her mind. So, she turned her attention toward his current dramatic monologue of sorts.  
  
"Okay class, we're going to do a fun assignment to get your brain working- just pair up and work together on this math packet, and the teams that can get done the fastest can earn some fun prizes! And yes, I  _did_ buy these prizes with my own money, that's how much I care about your education!  _Although I did earn this money from my side-job as a dancer so..._ oh, did I say that out loud? Okay, moving on, have fun students~!"  
  
He then presented the packets on his desk and waited for everyone to get one, and immediately, all the students rushed to get them. It was the most excited Peridot's ever seen someone else act about simply doing math, but she knew that it wasn't because they were passionate about the subject- they were just eager to earn some sort of prize for doing it well. Granted, the idea of winning something for doing what she was already gifted at was exciting, but it wasn't like she normally came into math expecting a reward. Nevertheless, she had to swim through the crowd of students in order to grab a packet...  
  
...and when she finally got through, she found out that all the packets had been gotten. This was a problem unsolvable with metal powers, so that meant she had to rely on her kryptonite: asking if anyone needed a partner. She knew the answer would be yes for at least one person, but it was still a hard task for multiple reasons. Mainly, she was not trained on talking to people. She's gotten better at it over time due to making friends with people who really love to talk, but she isn't one for starting a conversation unless she has a good reason to do it (like being gay for someone).  
  
Without a choice here, Peridot Facette began to search for someone who was still partner-less, asking every student around her. She was about to just sit down to work alone until she noticed a lone student in the back... Jasper Brooks, the girl who had recently gotten out of jail and had been in her previous class, and the sister of Amethyst, who oddly hadn't chosen to partner up with her. It seemed that the tough girl was about to make the same choice Peridot had come close to making- sitting down and just going solo- so she knew she needed to inform her of their respective availability in this area.  
  
However, the teacher was a faster speaker, and he (suddenly standing right behind her) remarked loud enough for both of them to hear, "Seems like we have two girls still needing to pair up! Now don't be shy, you'll get the work done faster with two minds~!"  
  
Annoyed by his incredible amount of jubilant energy, Peridot made her way over to the empty desk next to Jasper and plopped herself down, glancing at the packet that the girl had only managed to write her name down on before giving up on trying to attempt any of the problems.  
  
"So... you still remember me, right?" she asked, as she scooted the packet closer so she could get a good look at the equations.  
  
In response, she surprisingly laughed and commented, "Of course, I couldn't forget about you! I was pretty much your bodyguard!"  
  
"Heh, well, if we're being honest here... I think you had the bonus effect of scaring away anyone who wanted to talk to me."  
  
That response surprised Jasper, and at first Peridot thought she would be mad, but she just chuckled and admitted, "Y-yeah, I give off that vibe, I guess... hey, we can still talk while we do this math stuff, right?"  
  
"Yeah, obviously. And you can rest assured I'll do most of this for you, as I can assume this isn't really your strongsuit."  
  
With a hint of guilt, the teen replied, "Seems a bit too similar to our old dynamic, honestly."  
  
"Well this time I'm not doing it in exchange for protection- so you and Lapis were together for awhile, right? How did I never see you together?"  
  
In response, Jasper exclaimed while trying to keep track of the rapid equation-solving her partner was conducting, "Bad luck, maybe! But really, the schedules just were perfectly alligned so Lapis and you were never in the same places... and by the end of the year, our relationship was kinda rough, so that made it even less likely."  
  
"You know, Lapis didn't really describe you as the type to talk this much... or be this polite."  
  
Chuckling awkwardly, Jasper responded, "I've kinda been trying to work on that. Just a year ago I would never imagine having a conversation like this... especially not with you. And hey, you changed a lot too! The Peridot I knew would never have gotten hooked up with a girl and gained powers the very next day... I mean, not to say I didn't think you'd ever meet your soulmate, but-"  
  
"I understand what you're saying, Jasper, you don't need to clarify. B-but yeah, Lapis is great... I don't wanna act like I'm rubbing it in since you liked her a lot too, but I just feel lucky getting to be with her."  
  
The taller, stronger gal soon assured her, "Don't worry, you can't make me feel any worse about that than I've already felt about it. Plus, being in juvie for like... nearly a week sure gave me some perspective. I got lucky with Lapis too, but the difference is that I didn't appreciate what I had and got greedy. You, on the other hand, know exactly what you have and know not to squander it. Definitely proves how much smarter than me you are, huh?"  
  
"Hey, brains isn't everything! You're probably gonna be a star athlete one day, and I'll just be in a hot room programming stuff!"   
  
Scoffing, the white-haired teen reminded her, "You still got the soulmate, the nice hair, and... well, friends! I'd trade my muscles for that!"  
  
"Heh, how about we have a trade of your ability to see without glasses and my ability to enter a room without needing to turn sideways?" Peridot joked, proud that she made the other teen laugh, which was probably a first.  
  
Then, Jasper looked down and gasped. "Hey, you finished it already! Don't just sit there, go give it to the teacher!"  
  
Peridot realized that after all this time, she managed to finish the packet without even thinking about it. Grabbing it, she ran to the desk and slammed it down... and soon realized she had been the first one done.  
  
"Wow, four minutes flat? What a great pair! Of course, for all I know you could've just done it by yourself while your partner simply had a chat with you, but think about it like this: sometimes the best partner isn't one with the equal amount of brainpower to you, but the one who can put you in the right mindset to get it done without getting worked up over it! Heh, I'm talking too much aren't I? Go on, get a prize for you and your partner~"  
  
Wondering briefly why his voice sounded like that whenever he finished speaking, she saw the glorious prizes he had laid in front of her: sodas, snacks, pencils, calculators, it was a treasure trove! Quickly, she grabbed a red cream, but was surprised to see Jasper reach to grab it and yank it from her reach.  
  
Realizing what she had done, she sheepishly handed the drink back while muttering, "Uh, sorry, didn't notice you. And uh, thanks for the help."  
  
"Thank you too," she responded with a smile, not mentioning that she technically was the one doing the math part.  
  
For the rest of the period, they had a nice talk about what they had missed over their time not seeing each other. Peridot explained how uneventful her life had been up until meeting Lapis but that she still managed to retain a nice group of friends, while Jasper admitted that her life had been simultaneously more eventful and less fun. While the blonde sarcastically commented she was jealous of how much activity she got, the larger teen assured her that if given the chance, she would've taken all of that stuff back to just spend summer on her phone indoors. When the bell rang, Peridot realized that this was the first day she didn't just count the minutes until it was time to see Lapis again. Did she really find that much entertainment from talking to her ex-friend?   
  
_______  
  
After a moment of silence, Lapis asked, "I-is that really all true? She was that nice to you?"  
  
"Y-yeah, I wouldn't make that up. By the way, want my soda? I realized that caffeine really isn't-"  
  
Shushing her with a finger to her lips , the blue-haired lesbian assured her, "You deserve all the soda in the world. Now I'm gonna spend my time worrying about if Jasper was really nice to you or if she was trying to get you on her good side just to try and get closer to me..."  
  
"She literally said she was happy for me getting to hook up with you, how much proof do you need Lazuli?" she asked before beginning to chomp into her food.   
  
The teen thought about it for a moment before acknowledging with a smile, "Yeah, I guess she just changed. I mean, I changed too... although it's a shame she had to go to jail in the process of it."  
  
"As she admitted, she got into jail because of her own mistakes, so there's no reason to feel too bad about it- and just so you know Lapis, I'm still not completely forgiving her for how she treated you. It was still wrong, even if I know she's more than just a bad partner. In fact, until I know you feel like she deserves it, I'm not going to give her my full forgiveness."  
  
Lapis smiled and gave her a close one-armed hug, and a kiss on the cheek, making her face light up bright red. "Wow, thanks Peri- that's a very long-winded promise you just made, and it's not really possible for me to hold you to it, but I'm happy to hear it anyway."  
  
"Alright, so... what now? That was kinda all I had to talk about."  
  
In response, Lapis Lazuli admitted, "Well, we don't exactly need to always have something to talk about- maybe we can just spend the rest of the period flirting and being gay."  
  
"Well, sounds like a- hey wait, is that Lily and Ebony?"  
  
Now, it was gossip time, but as a pair!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a whole month since I last updated, sorry guys! Writer's block hit me really hard. I might try to just post shorter chapters to get back into the swing of things I imagine.


	17. Two Cute Crushes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To Peri and Lapis's delight, two members of the Ruby Squad have already formed crushes!

At a different table, round like theirs and similarly nearly completely empty, two members of the already introduced Ruby Squad were sitting next to each other, occasionally taking bites of their food and sips of the soda they purchased with money they got through unknown means, but mostly just having a conversation that they most likely intended to be private but was spoken loudly enough to make it heard by at least two girlfriends with no sense of minding their own business.

And to be fair, Peridot and Lapis would've tried to ignore it, but they decided that if they were going to speak so loudly about something, they deserved to have a few eavesdroppers. Plus, it wasn't like they planned on interrupting their conversation, and they were the perfect distance to listen without even having to look in their direction and far enough away that they wouldn't notice if they did sneak a few glances. So, as they slowly chewed their food, Peridot and Ms. Lazuli began to tune in to this gossip...

"I-I don't really know if I should even talk about it, I might end up jinxing it..." Lily admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of her head as a blush appeared on her face, repeatedly tapping her plastic fork against the tray.

Leaning in close to her friend, Ebony reminded her, "You can tell me anything, soldier, and if you're so worked up about it, I'm here to help!"

Silently, Peridot and Lapis looked at each other and agreed upon how cute this was; while before they had just viewed them as some sort of weird gang, they realized now the truth behind their stated mission of protecting each other.

"O-okay, as long as you don't laugh... I-I think I met a girl that I, um, kinda like."

Beginning to smile, Ebony questioned cheekily, "You think you did?"

"U-um, I mean, I did, I did meet a girl I like! S-she's really pretty, with a nice orange dress, and I... n-nevermind, this is just embarrassing..."

It was clear Ebony must've worried that the way she responded had made her feel that way, so in response, Ebony assured her, "I don't mean to make you feel uncomfy, I just wanna get to the bottom of this. And to be frank, I think I'll definitely be able to help you."

"W-wait, you do?" Lily asked, a bit louder than before, almost worrying Lapis and Peridot that she somehow saw them before they came to their senses.

Nodding, her eyepatched friend elaborated, "All you have to do is show you're not intimidated by her, even if you are! For example, there's a girl who recently caught my eye- she's big, strong, and looks real tough! But that's not gonna stop me from coming up to her the next time I see her and... um, introducing myself! You just have to have confidence!"

"W-well, that makes sense... but I don't know if I'm really intimidated by her, just nervous about looking stupid."

Leaning closer, Ebony stated confidently with a hint of redness in her cheeks, "That's exactly how I feel, so don't think you're alone. But as I said, confidence is key! And overall, you can't overthink it- this isn't one of our street-fights, this is just talking to a cute girl! That ain't so hard, right? After all, I'm talking to one right now and it feels pretty easy~"

"...o-oh my gosh, I haven't even spoken to her yet and you're making me feel weird!" Lily giggled, covering her red face upon realizing her meaning. "B-but, thanks, that really helps."

With a very proud smile, the tough but small girl gave her a pat on the back and even gave her a supportive hug before telling her, "Now, go make me proud!"

This was very cute to both Peridot and Lapis, and they were hopeful that things went well for both of them when it came to their plans to woo their crushes; after all, everyone deserved a chance at love!

Speaking of which, to remind her exactly where she was in the world, Lapis planted a kiss on her girlfriend's cheek, nearly making her fall into her half-finished burger and definitely getting her a bit red. It was lucky the bell didn't conveniently ring at that moment or they'd have to rush out fast; they managed to finish the rest of their food and dump their trays in time to move to next period at a leisurely pace. Neither of them knew what would come next period, as they couldn't predict if any of the Ruby Squad members would share any other periods with them, but they didn't mind the surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoy this new chapter, sorry it is a bit late- sheesh, two months! Life kinda gets in the way and writer's block is a pain! BTW, that movie trailer is incredible! If I had enough time I'd probably attempt to write a short story about past Steven meeting future Steven in a dream, but maybe I can save that for my short story dump~
> 
> P.S.: Leggy canonically does not have their own weapon or unique power, what should I give them?


	18. Sugary Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time away from Lapis meant it's time to focus on whatever was most interesting in the general area.

Next period, Peridot would find herself in music class, which she's been in exactly once before because of her Friday faint mishap which has become pretty well-known among students, although luckily it hasn't made her a target of ridicule; surprisingly, it isn't unheard of for students to have those sorts of reactions upon discovering they have a soulmate. Anyhow, she was rather rusty in this subject, and hoped she could sharpen her schools on the second day there. Mr. Universe (a musician so dedicated to his craft he got his name legally changed) luckily seemed understanding of her absence, saying something about pork chops that she found quite inaccurate but nonetheless kind. With that settled, she expected everything to return to normal... or at least, normal for a class she's barely had experience partaking in its lessons. However, the universe had other plans, as something distinct was happening.

Mr. Universe, in front of the class, proclaimed with quite a bit of enthusiasm for someone teaching high schoolers, "We have a new student here, who is pretty excited about learning with us today! So, without further ado, please welcome Sarah Spinel to the class!"

The students gave half-hearted claps before he gave the well-known "you don't have to actually clap" gesture as the aforementioned Sarah Spinel approached the board, giving an overdramatic curtsey. Adorned in pink shorts, a white T-Shirt with pink sleeves and a brighter pink heart on it, pink sneakers and matching twin ponytails (with a head of red hair almost looking pink as well), she looked like she was competing for the prize of cuteness without realizing it. 

"Heheh, you can just call me Spinel- Sarah is just what my parents call me! You could also call me Ready to Have Fun In This Class, because that's what I am too!"

Many students had to repress groans from that cheesy line, but the teacher ate it up, finding her quite charming before politely telling her to sit in her seat... which just meant to pick a seat and stay there if she didn't cause any trouble. Coincidentally, there was a free spot behind Peridot, so that's where she plopped herself down.

Now, Peridot was never a person to pry, but something about this girl seemed a bit odd. How could someone be so incredibly sweet? Even when she gave that comical line, it didn't sound like she was trying to suck up or act like a clown- she just was expressing how she felt. It would've been charming if Peridot wasn't so paranoid about the idea of someone being so perfect and pure. Even as she listened to the teacher start talking about the history of music dating back to the Greeks, which bored the nerdy blonde girl silly, Spinel just nodded without a second thought. Was this just a game to her, making people look into her for no reason so she could have a reason to talk to them? Of course, Peridot would feel very guilty if all that suspicion was just for nothing and she was just a regular sweet girl, but there was no time like the present, and being handed a two-page packet meant to be worked on with a partner gave her a good excuse to chat up a storm.

However, it seemed as if Spinel was too fast for her, tapping her on the shoulder and questioning, "Ya wanna be partners~?"  
  
"Oh, um, yes, of course," the nerdy girl replied, trying her best to not act as if she had already been planning to ask her.  
  
It seemed as if Spinel was a lot more inquisitive than Peridot had anticipated, asking many questions about Peridot, from how she does her hair, or if she really needs glasses, or if she has any superpowers.  
  
Upon hearing the last question, she responded with the assumption that this could prompt a revealing conversation, "Oh, yes, actually! I have the ability to manipulate metal!"  
  
"Wow, that is so cool! I used to have powers, but... ah, nevermind, I don't wanna be a bummer..."  
  
  
Curious, Peridot assured her, "You don't have to worry about bringing me down, and I would be interested in learning more about you after all the questions you asked of me."  
  
"Okay, heheh- I had the power to be all stretchy like I was made of elastic when I was best friends with this really nice girl! Her name was Fuchsia, and we had so much fun, she had the power to bring things back to life with her kisses. But then one day, she just stopped talking to me, and my powers started to fade away... and then I-I found out she changed her name a-and..."  
  
Now, the glasses-wearing girl felt bad for a different reason, as now Spinel was beginning to tear up. To make sure she didn't let her just cry, both worried about the teacher noticing and worrying about her in general, she began to comfortingly pat her on the back.   
  
With a sympathetic look, she told her, "It's okay, it's only one bad friend- it's never too late to find someone new to make you just as happy."  
  
"A-ah, you're right," the red-haired girl replied, wiping her eyes, "I don't need to think about that anymore! I hope I didn't ruin your mood..."  
  
Quickly, Peridot told her with a nice smile, "You don't need to be concerned about that, I'll be happy to listen to anything you need to say!"  
  
"Wow, you're really nice! With your help, I might be able to find myself a soulmate with no problems!" she giggled, hugging her tight, to her surprise. "Oh, and who is your soulmate? I'd love to meet them!"  
  
Chuckling with a soft smile, the blonde informed her, "Her name is Lapis Lazuli, she has blue hair and she has the power to control water, and she's really nice and pretty!"  
  
"Ah, she does sound nice... s-sorry, I was just thinking about her again, I need to stop but it's hard when we spent so much time together... I just wish she had told me why she didn't want to be friends," she sighed.  
  
To try and be motivational, Peridot reminded her, "If she didn't care enough to tell you that, she must've never been that good of a friend, and you could do way better than her! I know it'll probably hard to find someone new when you thought you had such a great relationship with her, but you just have to look for someone who you can have plenty of fun with who will have just as much fun with you and can be honest with you about how they feel!"  
  
"You're really smart you know, heheh, I can see why Lapis must like you," Spinel remarked, smiling brighter than before.  
  
Peridot blushed, realizing that her original plan was to simply find out if her happiness was sincere, and now she had given her motivational advice and had been given a sincere compliment. Clearly, her suspicions had been a bit off, but at least she got something out of it.  
  
Next period, she was very excited to talk to Lapis about this, although she ended up having to go to the bathroom first, meaning she'd get to class slightly later than usual. So it wasn't that surprising when she got there and Spinel was already sitting next to her girlfriend gushing about how nice she was and how she was going to get a soulmate because of her advice, with Lapis noticing Peridot and smirking, although that didn't make it any less weird.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figured throwing in a new character would spice things up after that hiatus, and who better than the best Gem underneath Peridot?


	19. Heart-Shaped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peridot has to try and be motivational, before finding something interesting.

Peridot pleasantly remembered her meeting with Spinel, and the encouraging words she gave her that made her feel more confident in her ability to find a soulmate. Not too long after that, she had met Lapis Lazuli, her own soulmate and girlfriend; they got along great, of course, although Lapis admitted she couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by her peppiness. After that, they would talk in class or in the halls, catching up on Spinel’s progress when it came to actually finding a soulmate.

  
...well, she hadn’t really been technically making progress, apart from finding out who  _ isn’t  _ her soulmate. It made Peridot’s heart sink every time, with Spinel looking like she had to force herself to stay optimistic. After a friendship like she had, it’s understandable that she might not have a ton of faith in her ability to actually find one, but part of Peridot felt like she was expecting it to be far easier than it really was. She met Lapis Lazuli because she was lucky enough to get a class with her, but that didn’t necessarily mean that your soulmate is just gonna bump into you lickety-split. However, Peridot had trouble straight-up saying that, feeling like it could bring her even farther into despair if she knew how much luck went into it. It wasn’t like saying hello and introducing herself to every student she met was a bad strategy, although it was bound to catch a lot of people off-guard.

  
However, she never got the impression Spinel was actually feeling hopeless- the bright smile she wore at all times always gave the indication that, even if it was tough, she still felt like she was going to find her soulmate soon. Plus, with schoolwork and going on cute low-budget dates with Lapis, along with trying to keep her social life alive, the blonde nerd didn’t exactly have all her attention focused on figuring out if Spinel was doing alright.

  
Then, one day, she wasn’t in class when she came in. That was odd- she loved music class, it was pretty much why she came to school from what she told her. Why would she not be here? However, Peridot assured herself it was probably simple- she might’ve gotten sick, or missed the bus, or simply had something she needed to do. Not everything had a dramatic, emotional explanation.

  
At one point she felt the urge to use the restroom, so she grabbed a pass and silently headed down the hall. She came into a stall and came out not too long afterward, and went to wash her hands. This’d usually take no time at all, but one of the soap dispensers wasn’t working, so she had to walk four feet to the other side to use the other one. That time spent seemed to allow her to realize that there was someone crying in one of the stalls.

  
Now, she’s never actually heard  _ or  _ seen Spinel cry at school. However, she’s heard her speak so much, she had a feeling she knew what it would sound like  _ if  _ she cried, and that definitely must’ve been in. Just in case, though…

  
“S-Spinel? Is that you?”

  
The crying stopped, for obvious reasons, before that familiar voice responded in a defeated manner, “Y-yeah…”

  
“D-do you need to talk about something?”

  
There was another moment of silence, and at first Peridot thought that was a ‘no’ and considered the idea that maybe it would be best to leave her alone for now, but then the stall door was unlocked and the short girl stumbled out, nearly tripping over herself.

  
Using the sink to get some stability, Spinel sighed, wiping away some tears before admitting, “I don’t think I’m doing well right now.”

  
“Is this about finding your soulmate?” Peridot questioned, feeling like she didn’t really need to ask, but that it might help to say it.

  
She responded with a nod, confessing, “I-I’ve been so excited thinking about getting someone to love me like you love Lapis, and I’ve been working so hard trying to find anyone who would awaken some powers inside me, but I wake up every morning and nothing’s different. H-how do I know I’ll ever find someone?”

  
Peridot had trouble thinking of a good answer. After all, there were some people in the world who, through some circumstances, were unable to find a soulmate- they are a small group, to be sure, but they still exist. It all really depends on their outlook and if they’re given the right opportunity. However, she couldn’t simply say “you might not, so don’t worry,” because that was not exactly the sensitive way to go about it. So, she thought for a moment and then gathered the right words.

  
“Listen, I know I kind of set a high bar with finding Lapis so fast, but everybody finds their soulmate differently. It’s impossible to know who’s going to like you enough to spark that, and how long it might take, but it’s not going to do any good to lose hope. Anyone would be lucky to have a soulmate like you, and you just have to show off what makes you great! Even if it takes a bit of time, it’ll be worth the wait, right?”

  
These words made Spinel smile a bit, and she responded, “Y-yeah, I think so. Thanks, Peridot. Um, what should I tell the teacher about me not being there yet?”

  
“Honestly, he seems like he’s pretty laid-back to take any excuse, but I’d say ‘not feeling well’ would work fine.”

Soon, Peridot washed her hands, Spinel mimicked her both to be funny and because she feared she could’ve gotten germs just sitting on a closed toilet seat, and they soon headed out the bathroom door… and Peridot tripped on something that laid on the ground.

Groaning, she stumbled to her feet, questioning, “W-what was that?”

“Oh, it’s paper!” Spinel answered excitedly, holding up what she thought was just a blank piece of paper, but from what Peridot could see, it was actually a poster advertising something. 

What it specifically was advertising seemed to be some kind of dance- referred to as a ‘tailgate’ on the poster, although she couldn’t remember what that actually meant. What she could figure out was that it seemed to be made specifically for freshmen, as they could get in free, and it was going to be near the end of the month.    
The first thought that Peridot had was “how is this going to encourage learning?” However, she could tell by Spinel’s expression that she was thinking a lot more positively, and it was definitely rubbing off on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the feels, but it fits for Spinel right? 
> 
> Also, to those wondering, I don't think soulmates in this universe is solely romantic- it can just mean someone who is very special to you, in a way unique to everyone else.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoy this first chapter, not my first story but my first one posted here! I wanted to try my hand at a risky thing- a Human AU, and one that I created the premise of to my knowledge! THis might be slow at first, we have to introduce the main characters of this cute shippy story before jumping into the action after all!


End file.
